Post by shahadat560 on Jan 18, 2024 4:30:56 GMT -5
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended this Friday that in places with widespread transmission of coronavirus all people who cannot maintain a distance of two meters from others, such as in public transport, stores or closed spaces with many people , use masks or cloth face coverings .
In an update to its advice guide on this element of protection, the organization considers that as countries lift confinement measures and movement restrictions, it is necessary for people to use them to protect themselves in situations where they do not You can apply the recommended social distance.
Until now, the WHO only recommended – according to its Country Email List guide from April 6 – the use of masks for those who were caring for potentially contaminated people, or who were coughing or sneezing; as well as for health personnel.
The masks recommended for the general public are cloth masks, which must meet certain conditions to truly represent protection for the wearer and the rest of the community.
Cloth masks
The expert from the WHO Department of Health Emergencies, April Beller, explained to Efe that there is new scientific evidence (from research at the universities of Stanford and Colorado) about cloth masks, the various materials from which they can be made. and the level of protection they confer.
These studies have revealed which materials can act as a "barrier" to the microdroplets expelled by contaminated people when they cough or sneeze, and the way in which they must be combined to fulfill this purpose. "If I'm infected or coughing, everything goes into the mask and doesn't come out the other side, so it's a way to protect other people," Beller said.
The WHO recommends medical masks for people over 60 years of age or with chronic diseases
The WHO guidance emphasizes that not all cloth masks have the same filtration quality, one of the determining factors for their effectiveness. The materials to consider in the manufacture of an effective mask are polypropylene , cotton and polyester , and cellulose and silk as the last alternatives.
"Distance is the best prevention that exists. If it is not possible, why cloth? Because surgical masks should be saved for health personnel ," Beller said.
An exception should be made for people over 60 years of age or who suffer from chronic diseases , for whom the WHO now also recommends the use of medical masks .
In an update to its advice guide on this element of protection, the organization considers that as countries lift confinement measures and movement restrictions, it is necessary for people to use them to protect themselves in situations where they do not You can apply the recommended social distance.
Until now, the WHO only recommended – according to its Country Email List guide from April 6 – the use of masks for those who were caring for potentially contaminated people, or who were coughing or sneezing; as well as for health personnel.
The masks recommended for the general public are cloth masks, which must meet certain conditions to truly represent protection for the wearer and the rest of the community.
Cloth masks
The expert from the WHO Department of Health Emergencies, April Beller, explained to Efe that there is new scientific evidence (from research at the universities of Stanford and Colorado) about cloth masks, the various materials from which they can be made. and the level of protection they confer.
These studies have revealed which materials can act as a "barrier" to the microdroplets expelled by contaminated people when they cough or sneeze, and the way in which they must be combined to fulfill this purpose. "If I'm infected or coughing, everything goes into the mask and doesn't come out the other side, so it's a way to protect other people," Beller said.
The WHO recommends medical masks for people over 60 years of age or with chronic diseases
The WHO guidance emphasizes that not all cloth masks have the same filtration quality, one of the determining factors for their effectiveness. The materials to consider in the manufacture of an effective mask are polypropylene , cotton and polyester , and cellulose and silk as the last alternatives.
"Distance is the best prevention that exists. If it is not possible, why cloth? Because surgical masks should be saved for health personnel ," Beller said.
An exception should be made for people over 60 years of age or who suffer from chronic diseases , for whom the WHO now also recommends the use of medical masks .