The media pundit's pundit. Written by NYC insider Jeff Jarvis, BuzzMachine covers news, media, journalism, and politics.
Mask chic
: I’ll predict that we’ll soon see people wearing masks all around America. As soon as the flu starts spreading here and millions are left without vaccinations, every sneeze around us — and I dodged plenty on the subway this morning — is like a germ fart. I’ll just bet folks will start wearing masks and we’ll end up looking long Hong Kong under SARS.
“I’ll predict that we’ll soon see people wearing masks all around America.”
I agree; look for them at the end of the month. In fact, I’ll go out on a limb to predict that we’ll see a lot of kids wearing them.
Just lightening the mood a bit.
Yeah, and I’m hoping that employers will be encouraged to let people stay home when they’re sick, instead of making them come into work so they can spread the flu around to even more people. (I’m probably dreaming, though.)
You might be interested in this news item posted on Medscape about a study done in a Hong Kong hospital regarding the use of masks to prevent the spread of SARS, another viral infection.
“Surgical Masks Likely to Protect Against SARS,” relates a case control study involving 254 hospital workers of whom, 13 became infected.
“Masks seem to be essential for protection…. The other three measures (without the mask) [gloves, gowns and handwashing] add no significant protection,” lead author W. H. Seto, from Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong, says in a news release. “This finding fits well with droplets transmission because droplets are generated at the face level making the mask crucial for protection.”
I don’t know what studies have been done for influenza in a public setting. People have talked about how air is recirculated on airlines. I don’t mean to cause alarm, and what also helps is maintaining a healthy lifestyle with a good diet.
(click on my name for the link)
Jeff, here’s an outfit for you to wear on the subway that’s seen use in a previous epidemic. (click on name for the link.)
New band name: GERM FART!
I agree completely. I work a lot with the general public and am disgusted at how many sick people don’t stay home and keep their germs to themselves. Employers of America should be ashamed. There wouldn’t be such a problem with the flu IF PEOPLE STOPPED DOING STUPID THINGS TO SPREAD IT.