Mouth masks are considered a sensible measure to protect others from corona and influenza viruses. By heating you can use masks again - so the previous assumption.
- Face masks are designed to prevent the transmission of corona viruses.
- Many doctors only recommend mouth protection in certain cases.
- Only those who use a mouth mask correctly can protect others from being infected with corona viruses *.
Update from April 29th: "This method can no longer be recommended for the decontamination of masks"
Hospitals, nursing homes, medical practices and even private individuals often use mouth-nose protection several times. Most face masks are single-use products that should be replaced after use. However, various scientists and the German government have come to the conclusion in the past few weeks that heating to 70 degrees Celsius frees masks from viruses and that they can be used again .
However, sterilization by heating is not as sensible as assumed, as the ZDF format Frontal21 reported. In a paper from the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), which is exclusively available from Frontal21 , the reprocessing process previously advocated by the federal government using dry heat at 70 degrees is classified as unsuitable. Frontal21 quotes from the work that the procedure is not sufficient to achieve a complete inactivation of infectious virus particles on the incubated masks. It goes on to say: "This means that this process can no longer be recommended for the decontamination of masks." The BfArM therefore calls for the current processing procedure to be ended immediately.
The Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Labor published a decision in early April that made it possible to reuse respiratory masks after a prescribed sterilization process. Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn and Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil saw the reprocessing process as a safe solution to be prepared for possible mask supply bottlenecks. This assumption has been dashed with the current BfArM publication .
Update from April 27th: Use the face mask again in an emergency - you have to pay attention to that
Since 20.04.2020 there is no obligation to wear a face mask in Germany, however, Markus Söder, as Prime Minister of Bavaria, made an urgent recommendation to use a face mask when shopping or on public transport. From April 27th - when the shops open - there is now a mask requirement * in Bavaria . It applies, among other things, to shops and local public transport. A scarf is sufficient, it is only important that it covers the mouth and nose.
Mouth and nose protective masks and FFP masks are single-use items, the protective effect of which is not guaranteed if they are used several times. But if you no longer have a new mask at hand, the old one must inevitably serve again - or just the scarf or the scarf. It is important that they are free of pathogens. " Even if only little is known about the new type of corona virus, it is certain that the pathogen does not tolerate excessive heat . It dies at temperatures above 60 to 70 degrees Celsius . It is a simple means of destroying it on masks The key is that the masks must not break. With regard to simple surgical or fabric masks, the virologist Christian Drosten from the Berlin Charité is confident that it is sufficient to put them in the oven at 70 degrees until they are dry. Cloth masks can also be washed at 60 degrees, he told the NDR. "The mirror informs about the possibility of sterilizing mouth masks. Masks made of fabric are easy to sew yourself, meanwhile several companies have switched and produce mouth masks made of fabric. DIY YouTuber Fynn Kliemann is now also producing masks to protect against the corona virus , as reported by ingame.de *.
Professional FFP masks are more difficult to clean because of the built-in filter. However, they can be gently disinfected in the microwave, as US researchers have found . To do this, they placed the worn mask face down on two vessels, each with 50 milliliters of lukewarm tap water, in a microwave. The mask was heated at 750 watts for two minutes. The water vapor generated cleaned the mask without weakening the filter effect.
However, the following applies: reuse is generally not recommended and should only be done in an emergency . In particular, mouth masks with metal parts have no place in a microwave, because metal can cause sparks and thus pose a fire hazard.
Also read: Bavaria's secret central warehouse for medical protective equipment is located in the Munich district. Strict safety precautions guard especially the important mouthguard in Corona times .
Update from April 15th, 2020: "It would be best if everyone simply wore mouth-nose protection"
In many countries, the corona virus pandemic requires mouth protection, for example in the affected metropolises of China and throughout Austria. In Germany it is not yet clear whether mouth protection is mandatory. The reason for this is, among other things, the different opinions about how useful a respirator mask actually is. Many medical professionals agree that a face mask can only have an effect if sick people wear it . Others argue that everyone should wear a mask to protect them against coronaviruses - like Jochen Werner, medical director at the University Hospital Essen.
" It would be best if everyone simply wore mouth-nose protection, then the infection rate could be reduced, " Focus quotes the doctor: "If a Covid-19 infected person puts on a mouth protection, the droplets do not fly so freely to the other person as without. So it is absolutely clear to me that a mouthguard protects other people. Not 100 percent, but it reduces the risk of infection ". Even a self-made model is better than no protection. The mask is not only useful for protecting others, it also contributes to self-protection: "If you wear a mouth-nose protection, you automatically don't touch your mouth and nose as often. This also reduces the risk of infection *," explains Werner .
Read also : "Turn on the brain": surgeon makes his anger over the coronavirus panic air - and reveals bad prognosis .
Update from April 9th, 2020: Virologist Christian Drosten on the topic "Mouthguard for everyone?"
Rising Covid 19 cases in Germany are worrying citizens, many are asking themselves: Should I wear a face mask when I leave the house? Virologist Christian Drosten from the Berlin Charité gave a professional assessment in the NDR podcast "Coronavirus Update": In his eyes, a mask only makes sense for those who have a respiratory disease . "The further you are from this source ( editor's note: in this context, source means a sick person who coughs or sneezes ), the more you have to do with a finer aerosol inhaled a mask, regardless of whether you breathe in from the front, or you put on a mask and suck it in at the side. It just doesn't make any difference. Therefore: the closer to the source, the better. That is why the mask has to be at the source and not at the receiver. And that is certainly a perfectly plausible consideration. What is not so plausible that I cannot protect myself in public with a mask. That is just a bit difficult But there is simply either no or - depending on how you want to interpret it - almost no evidence in the literature that this could help, "Drosten said in the interview.
In view of the fact that Covid 19 patients are at risk of becoming infected even before the first noticeable symptoms, doctors and politicians are currently discussing a duty to wear mouth protection. Drosten also sees sense in a mouthguard because it is so rare to touch the face, which already has a great effect on the risk of infection from smear infection *: "When I sneeze, I distribute the smallest droplets. And when I have a piece of cloth in front of your mouth, it can either be a cellulose wipe like a mask you bought, or it can of course be a scarf or something , these large droplets are then caught. There is nothing to discuss about it . "
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Article dated 16.03.2020: mouth masks sold out in many places
They are particularly widespread in Asia: face masks designed to protect wearers and their fellow human beings from germs and viruses. During the SARS pandemic in 2002/2003, this protective measure was recommended by medical professionals to protect themselves, but also others, from the viruses that trigger Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Since the first coronavirus case in Germany was confirmed, more and more Germans are considering using a face mask to protect themselves against infection with coronaviruses. The masks are already sold out in many pharmacies . There are also delivery bottlenecks in Australia and the USA, as reported by the Tagesspiegel. But how sensible is the purchase? Experts have a clear opinion on this.
Read also : Coronavirus infection more dangerous for men: Researchers have this explanation .
Mouthguards should fit snugly - thin paper masks are of little use
In Germany, face masks * are available in different quality. Very thin paper masks would have a rather low protective effect, as the Tagesspiegel reported. On the other hand, masks that also wear medical personnel are a good way to protect others from viruses and bacteria - provided they are put on correctly. The high-quality masks are absorbent on the inside, liquid-repellent on the outside and available in pharmacies, but also partially in drugstores.
According to a study, a good protective effect is only given if the mouth masks are used correctly . The following rules should be followed:
- The mask should fit snugly and completely cover the nose and mouth.
- An effective face mask should contain a metal wire as a nose piece so that the area around the nose can be adjusted exactly.
- If the mask is moistened by the air you breathe, you must change it.
More on the subject : Coronavirus warning for Germany: "We have to prepare for it in the entire health system".
Survey on the subject
Protection against corona viruses: face masks for surgeons, flu sufferers and other infectious patients
According to the Robert Koch Institute, there is no evidence that wearing mouth-nose protection significantly reduces the risk of infection for a healthy person who wears it. However, face masks are recommended for people with respiratory diseases because this reduces the risk of them infecting others. Medical professionals such as doctors are also among those for whom a face mask makes sense.
According to the Tagesspiegel, there are indications that face masks do not protect nearly as well against germ transmission in public spaces as in clinics and medical practices. One explanation could be that medical personnel are trained in the use of face masks and use them correctly. Another explanation would be that people with face masks fail to take other precautions that protect against viruses and bacteria. This includes regular hand washing * and keeping a distance from infected people .
In general, doctors do not recommend wearing protective masks in public. So-called surgical face masks, according to Bernd Salzberger, the chairman of the German Society for Infectious Diseases at Regensburg University Hospital, were not made to protect against infection, but are intended to prevent potentially infectious droplets from the respiratory tract of surgeons from entering the operating area , as reported by Bavarian Radio.
Also read : "As if we were going on a suicide mission" - crew member on corona virus on a cruise.
Prevent coronavirus infection with the following protective measures
However, Salzberger face masks are very useful for people who are ill. For example, people with the flu * should wear a mask to protect other people : "But protection against infection from the outside is very, very bad with it," the BR quotes the expert Salzberger.
Dr. Martin Hoch from the Infectiology Task Force of the Bavarian Ministry of Health sees no point in wearing a mouthguard as a healthy person at the moment. In his eyes, regular hand washing and sneezing and coughing in the crook of the arm promises much more effective protection - and not in the palm of the hand .
Read more : Coronavirus: what are the symptoms? Lung disease is spreading.
The corona virus is really contagious
"Like other infectious diseases - the flu, for example - the virus is transmitted from person to person," said tropical medicine specialist Dr. Interview with Markus Frühwein: "At the moment we assume that people can be contagious before they have symptoms". However, close contact is necessary to get infected *. Anyone who was in the same conference room with a coronavirus * or was a few rows away on the plane from a sick person should not have to worry, according to Frühwein.
Read more : "Turn on the brain": surgeon makes anger over the coronavirus panic air - and reveals bad prognosis.
Video: corona virus - how contagious is the virus?
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* merkur.de and ingame.de are part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network .
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