我今天收到的email, 但只有英文, 希望對各位留意SARS的朋友有幫助: Hi my dear friend, I attended a talk organised especially for our community pharmacists tonite. The speakers include pharmacist in PWH, QEH, KWH and a nurse specialised in the control of transmitting disease. The talk is very informative and therefore, i want to share with u all. SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is transmitted by droplets (>5 micro) but NOT by airbourne droplets (<5 micro). This means that it can only be transmitted if the patient coughs, speaks out loud etc which can force the droplets out thru the mouth in 3 feet area. > In that case, we can wear masks to protect ourselves. So what kind of mask should we use? > Most believe that 3M N95 8210 mask is the most effective one. yep, it can filter up to 0.3 micro particles, definitely is useful for SARS (as it is 5 micro) but the surgical masks (green/blue in color) can also filter 5 micro particles. Therefore, it is recommended to use surgical mask which is proved to be effective and much cheaper. Besides, there are some drawbacks in using the N95 type. It is not recommended for those who have asthma, breathing problems and pregnant woman. As some of u who have used that before may know, the breathing resistance is very large. U may feel uncomfortable and will use yr hand to adjust it fr time to time. In this way, u will contaminate yr hand with the virus which may be present on the surface of the mask. The nurse told us this may be the reason why HO SIU WAI has contacted the disease. He wore a N95 mask when he visited 8A ward on that day, he felt very uncomfy and used his hand to touch the mask, finally he is infected. Therefore, we should note some important points when wearing masks. First, wash yr hands thoroughly with detergent. It's better to scratch yr hands a little bit to wash off the virus as they can be removed by physical friction. Carefully identify the external and internal surface of the mask. The colored face should be exposed. It is water-resistant, u can test it by adding a water droplet, it won't diffuse. Do not touch the mask after u have put it on, the exposed part may contain virus. Do not use it for a while and then take a rest by removing it and then put it on again, in other words, it can't be reused. Use it only when necessary or with yr common sense. e.g. It's no use to wear one at home when there're no infected or suspected patient at home. One important thing to note is all the masks are designed for ADULTS only. That means that even children can use it, it may not fit well. Therefore, parents should make sure their children feel comfortable in using masks. If the child find it hard to breath or feel dizzy etc, he should not use it. The paper masks with only two layers of paper is NOT useful. It will get dampened by droplets and can actually transmit the virus. The nurse told us that there're only 3 diseases, Tuberculosis (TB), Measles, Chickenpox which are tranmitted by airborne droplets (AIR). In that case, N95 should be used. 95 means 95 % filtration of air particles. The company said that they use 0.3 micro particles to test the quality of the masks. N95 standard is set by the States in 1996. For those who wear this kind of masks, they need to past very stringent tests to make sure they can fit the masks correctly. ( e.g. 25 mins breathing test) This is something what i have learnt tonite. It's very important information that I, as a community pharmacist, have the responsibility to pass on to the public. I hope that it can be helpful to u all. Take care,
