They are also used by the general public in household and community settings as perceived protection against both infectious diseases and particulate air pollution and to contain the wearer's exhaled virus laden droplets. Cloth face masks are only recommended for use by healthcare workers as a last resort if supplies of surgical masks and respirators are exhausted. In healthcare settings, they are used on sick patients as source control to reduce disease transmission through respiratory droplets, and by healthcare workers when surgical masks and respirators are unavailable. Like surgical masks, and unlike respirators, cloth face masks do not provide a seal around the face, and prior to the 2019 COVID-19 outbreak were generally not authorized by institutions for protection from sub-HEPA particle size (less than 0.3 um) Influenza Like Illness (ILI). Cloth face masks contrast with surgical masks and respirators such as N95 masks, which are made of nonwoven fabric formed through a melt blowing process, and are regulated for their effectiveness based upon efficiency of minimum particle size filtered and/or maximum penetrating particle (MPP) size, along with other criteria such as outer splash/spray protection, inner splash/spray absorption, contaminant accumulation and shedding, air flow, and inflammability. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, reusable cloth face masks were predominantly used by healthcare workers in developing countries and were especially prominent in Asia. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on using and making cloth masks during the COVID-19 pandemic See also: Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic Guidance from the U.S. Launderable cloth electret filters were also being developed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, their use in developed countries was revived due to shortages, as well as for environmental concerns and practicality. In the 1960s they fell out of use in the developed world in favor of disposable surgical masks with an electret (electrically charged) filter material, but cloth masks persisted in developing countries. They are used by the general public in household and community settings as protection against both infectious diseases and particulate air pollution.Ĭloth face masks were routinely used by healthcare workers starting from the late 19th century until the mid 20th century. Because they are less effective than N95 masks, surgical masks, or physical distancing in protecting the wearer against viruses, they are not considered to be personal protective equipment by public health agencies. When more effective masks are not available, and when physical distancing is impossible, cloth face masks are recommended by public health agencies for disease "source control" in epidemic situations to protect others from virus laden droplets in infected mask wearers' breath, coughs, and sneezes. A cloth face mask is a mask made of common textiles, usually cotton, worn over the mouth and nose.
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