Can ordinary cotton masks effectively prevent respiratory diseases? Can wearing multiple masks together increase the protective effect... Here is the authoritative answer!

How often do masks need to be replaced? Should I choose an N95 mask or an ordinary surgical mask? Can wearing an ordinary cotton mask effectively prevent respiratory diseases?

Wearing a mask correctly is a prerequisite for the mask to play its role in preventing the spread of respiratory diseases.

Mask replacement:

First, masks should be used by one person only and cannot be used interchangeably. Masks that are worn accidentally or incorrectly should be replaced in a timely manner.

Second, for disposable medical masks and medical surgical masks, it is recommended that the cumulative use time of a single mask should not exceed 8 hours. Masks for occupationally exposed personnel should be used for no more than 4 hours, but they cannot be reused. There is no special difference in the replacement frequency between KN95 and N95 protective masks, disposable medical masks or medical surgical masks.

Third, when going to the hospital for medical treatment, accompanying patients, or caring for patients, you should change your mask in time after close contact with people with respiratory symptoms.

Fourth, the mask should be replaced immediately after being contaminated by respiratory or nasal secretions or other body fluids.

Fifth, the mask should be replaced promptly if it becomes dirty, deformed, damaged, or has an odor.

In addition, masks should be replaced in a timely manner when they have exceeded their expiration date or do not meet current national or industry standards.

Mask selection:

Cotton masks cannot effectively block the spread of pathogens through respiratory droplets and aerosols. The public is advised to choose masks scientifically based on the mask guidelines, their own health conditions, the risk of infection in their environment, and the guidance and suggestions of medical staff.

It is also not advisable to wear multiple masks for the purpose of keeping warm or preventing infection. Wearing multiple masks will not only fail to increase the protective effect, but will increase breathing resistance and may also destroy the tightness of the mask.

Recently, the epidemic prevention and control group of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council issued the "Guidelines for the Wearing of Masks by the Public to Prevent Respiratory Infectious Diseases (2023 Edition)" and policy interpretations. Localities and departments can refer to these guidelines to formulate mask guidelines suitable for local areas and industries based on actual conditions.

If a family member is infected with a respiratory disease, does the home need to be disinfected? How can we prevent the infection of cohabiting family members?

First, patients should wear masks and try to avoid close contact with other family members, as well as sharing daily necessities such as tableware. If conditions permit, patients can live in a relatively independent space. When patients cough or sneeze, they should cover their mouths with tissues or clothing on their elbows. Used tissues and other garbage should be placed in garbage bags and disposed of in a timely manner to avoid contact with others. At the same time, hand hygiene should be maintained, especially after blowing your nose or cleaning contaminants, and washing hands in a timely manner.

Second, keep the environment and items at home clean. If there is clear contamination or when necessary, disinfection can be carried out. If the patient's oral and nasal secretions contaminate the surface of an object, it should be cleaned and decontaminated with absorbent materials such as paper towels and dry towels first, and then the contaminated surface should be disinfected, and hands should be washed in time. Used clean items should be disposed of in a timely manner. For corrosion-resistant surfaces, chlorine-containing disinfectants or other effective methods should be used for disinfection. For non-corrosion-resistant surfaces, other effective disinfection methods should be selected for disinfection. For small items that are frequently touched in daily life, such as mobile phones and keys, alcohol can be used for wiping and disinfection. For tableware, boiling disinfection is the first choice. When boiling disinfection, all items should be immersed, and the timing should be started after boiling. The boiling time should be no less than 15 minutes. When using disinfectants, they should be carried out strictly in accordance with the product instructions, and personal protection should be done at the same time.

Third, other family members should strengthen hand hygiene when they return home from outside or when they are at home. If there are visible contaminants on the hands, wash them with hand sanitizer under running water; if there are no visible contaminants, rub both hands with hand sanitizer for cleaning and disinfection.

Fourth, strengthen indoor ventilation, open windows regularly for ventilation, and keep indoor air flowing. In winter, the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor is large, so be careful to avoid catching a cold caused by opening windows for ventilation.

How to improve parents' health awareness and effectively prevent the occurrence of respiratory diseases in children, thereby reducing the probability of children getting sick?

△ Shen Haiping, Deputy Director of the Department of Maternal and Child Health of the National Health Commission:

First, strengthen children's health guidance in conjunction with child health services. At present, my country has established a basic public health service system, providing a prescribed number of free health examinations and consultation and guidance services for children aged 0 to 6 in urban and rural areas. It is particularly emphasized that maternal and child health institutions and primary medical and health institutions should provide parents with health education, prevention consultation, medication reminders and vaccination guidance for children's respiratory diseases when carrying out child health examination services, and strive to prevent children from getting sick or getting sick less. The national system management rate of children under 3 years old and the health management rate of children under 7 years old are both above 90%.

Second, continue to increase the intensity of popular science publicity. Various forms of publicity and education on the prevention and treatment of respiratory diseases in children are adopted to let parents understand the prevalence of diseases and enhance their awareness of active prevention. Since October this year, the third-level maternal and child health care hospitals across the country have published more than 7,000 popular science works of various types through WeChat, short videos, etc., with a reading volume of 16.71 million. Focusing on hot issues such as personal protection, home care, and scientific use of drugs that are of common concern to children's parents, scientific knowledge is widely disseminated, and doubts are actively voiced.

Third, strengthen the business guidance of key institutions. Carry out targeted technical guidance for institutions with a large number of children, such as childcare institutions, primary and secondary schools. Special emphasis is placed on the need for maternal and child health institutions to strengthen training for the heads and health workers of childcare institutions within their jurisdiction, guide childcare institutions to ensure children's nutritious diet, proper exercise, and full-day health observation, provide professional disease prevention guidance, and prevent the occurrence of clustered diseases. Text source: National Health Commission press conference