Swine flu: Are you wearing the right mask?
If you thought that a simple surgical mask will protect you from being infected by swine flu virus, you were wrong. The Centre for Disease Control, United States, and doctors in Washington recommend use of N95 respirators for protection. This they recommend both for the infected person and to those who get exposed to virus during their visits to hospitals and other places. "The surgical mask (the green coloured mask) does not guarantee protection. It is the N95 respirator, which will do the actual work. And people who visit hospitals and infected areas should adopt this. It should not be limited to treating doctors and patients only," one of the doctors at AIIMS said. As of now, at the entry points of the airports, suspected cases are given a three layered mask till final test results prove positive. The Drug Controller General of India Dr Surender Singh said 'ideally N95 is the best but since it costs more, the three layered is given. While the former costs around Rs 300...