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Sydney (pte026/02.05.2003/13:47) - Only high quality textile surgical masks are effective in protecting against a SARS infection, according to a team of doctors at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong.
The team, which has been examining the forms of transmission of the killer lung disease, came to the conclusion that the paper masks being distributed in China Hong Kong and other Asian countries are ineffective in stopping the spread of SARS. According to the Australian news service ABC http://www.abc.net.au the results of the team's study will be published in the next edition of the British medical journal The Lancet http://www.thelancet.com .
In their study the doctors looked at the preventive measures used by 254 colleagues who came into contact with eleven infected SARS patients. Only 69 employees took all the recommended safety measures, such as wearing a mask, gloves and protective clothing, and washing their hands after treating the patients.
None of the 13 co-workers in the hospital who contracted SARS had worn a proper surgical mask in dealing with the patients. Instead, they had used cheap paper masks.
These results confirm suspicions that SARS can be transmitted through the air, and that paper masks will allow the virus to pass through. Only surgical masks made of a special cloth can filter out the virus. (newsfox-special SARS)
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