Why do you need to wear a face mask in the new outbreak of pneumonia

Why do you need to wear a face mask in the new outbreak of pneumonia

The epidemic of New Coronary Pneumonia continues to spread globally, and Europe and the United States have become "severely hit areas." For a long time, foreign health experts and many countries have always debated whether ordinary people should wear masks in public places. But in recent days, the attitude of all parties to "whether to wear a mask" has changed significantly.

On April 1, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that cotton masks will be distributed throughout Japan, with a ration of two per household.

"One of the best ways to prevent infection is to wear a mask"

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, wearing masks has become a common choice for Asian people to prevent infection: Chiang Rai, Thailand requires all people entering Chiang Rai to wear masks; people in Luzon, Philippines, need to wear protective masks, handkerchiefs and other protective equipment; Japan Cotton masks will be distributed nationwide, two for each household ...

But in countries such as Europe and the United States, the wearing of masks has caused a lot of controversy-an Italian parliamentarian was mocked for wearing masks; a Swiss female parliamentarian was expelled for wearing masks on the grounds of "disrupting the meeting" "Order"; some ordinary people wear masks and go out, they will be cast with "different eyes" ...

However, with the spread of the epidemic, many people have begun to re-examine the role of masks.

On April 3, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) revised its guidelines on wearing masks, saying that all Americans should wear non-medical masks when they go out in public to avoid spreading the new crown virus. However, medical masks should still be reserved for medical personnel, and the recommendation to wear masks is not mandatory.

A few days ago, Eric Jasiti, the mayor of Los Angeles, California, had directly advised Los Angeles residents to wear masks or even use handkerchiefs to cover their faces in public places.

The White House's response to the New Crown Special Team member and American anti-epidemic expert Fossi also admitted that "if one does not want to be infected or infects others, one of the best ways is to use a mask."

In addition to the United States, the German Federal Disease Control Agency Robert Koch Institute also changed its attitude on April 2, saying that wearing a mask can "effectively reduce the risk of contracting the virus through coughing, sneezing or talking", recommending "even if there is no new coronary pneumonia People with symptoms should also wear masks in public. "

Austrian Prime Minister Kurz issued a "mask injunction" at the end of March and said that from the experience of Asian countries, this has an important role in preventing the spread of the virus in the air, and the people must make adaptive changes.

In Italy and France, some teaching videos of homemade masks are also widely distributed on social media ...

"Asymptomatic infected"

In early March, many European and American health experts and major media still held the view that "masks are useless". The CDC has previously stated that ordinary citizens do not need to wear masks unless they are sick or take care of sick people. What made them turn around their ideas in less than a month?

Many foreign media analysis said that "asymptomatic virus-infected people" may be a key factor for European and American experts to change their attitudes.

Reports that "asymptomatic virus-infected people" may not have self-perceived clinical symptoms such as fever, cough, and sore throat, and no recognizable symptoms and signs, but the new coronavirus pathogen test for respiratory tract specimens is positive.

According to a report issued by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) on March 28, "there is new evidence that the asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission of the new coronavirus is possible." The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) also quoted a recently published study saying that people who are infected with the virus but do not show any symptoms, or have only mild symptoms are also contagious.

BBC further said that more and more experts believe that the use of masks by the public can prevent "asymptomatic infected people" from spreading the virus to others without their knowledge.

The former Director of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Scott Gottlieb explained that the infected person wearing a mask can effectively prevent them from spreading their own viruses to others. In view of the existence of asymptomatic infected persons, the requirement to wear a mask may be a “good social responsibility insurance policy”.