Mycosis as a possible consequence of wearing masks? The doctor explains what the truth is [WE EXPLAIN]

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«Poles know that you need a mask, but how and why – it is not always well understood. To put it bluntly: when we wear a mask anyhow, it is as if we do not have it at all »- warns the pulmonologist, dr hab. Tadeusz Zielonka, explaining when and to what extent the masks protect us. The expert also referred to the biggest mask myths. Can they really cause lung mycosis and staphylococcal infection? Do we risk hypoxia with them on our face? Here’s what the truth looks like.

1. From Saturday, February 27, it will be forbidden to cover your mouth and nose with helmets, scarves and bandanas. Only face masks are allowed
2. Dr. Tadeusz Zielonka: the mask is uneven – surgical mainly protects against the fact that we do not infect others, the mask with filters provides great protection also for ourselves (approx. 80%)
3. Pulmonologist: the mask is a matter of personal use – we cannot treat it haphazardly. Let’s wrap it, e.g. in a zip-bag
4. «I must be aware that I am wearing a mask so that someone who does not have the cover would pay with their life. Here you need to think in terms of community »
5. For more up-to-date information on the coronavirus epidemic, visit the TvoiLokony home page

Monika Mikołajska, Medonet: Currently, we have to use protective masks everywhere in public spaces. Let us remind you why wearing them is so important. In October, the Minister of Health even said that removing the masks is like cutting off the brakes in a car …

Dr hab. Tadeusz Zielonka, MD: Remember that we have two types of masks. One is a surgical mask or its equivalents that most people wear, and the other is a filter mask. The former primarily protects against the fact that an infected person does not infect others. In other words, if I, as a healthy person, have this mask, it will not protect me from getting sick, but only reduce the risk, according to estimates, by about 20%. So I’m only slightly protected. So you can not talk, like the minister, about disabling the brakes, because the mask protects me only in these 20 percent. It is important for the sick person to wear the mask as it limits the spread of infection.

The conclusion is that a surgical mask should absolutely be worn by all people with symptoms of the disease – those who cough, have a runny nose, fever, feel bad.

1. Order Vitammy’s professional disposable surgical masks today. See also the other offer of disposable masks available on Medonet Market.

What about people who don’t know they’re infected because they don’t have symptoms? You can still see people in the streets who don’t have masks.

We don’t really know who is sick. So it is correct to say that it is immoral or unethical not to wear a mask, because we do not know if we are infected. At this point, we are exposing our compatriots to contamination without knowing it. One thing follows from this: that we should all wear masks.

Some have opted for masks with protective filters. In their case, the level of protection is higher?

Our protection increases from 20 to 80 percent. We cannot talk about 100%, because it is tightness at stake – which is a matter of fitting or proper wearing. However, let us be aware that if we want to protect ourselves better, we should invest in better masks, in masks with filters. Remember that the mask is uneven – the surgical mask protects you from infecting others, the mask with filters also provides a lot of protection for ourselves.

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Many people chose cloth masks. What is the level of protection against pathogens here?

They are generally equivalent to a surgical mask, but not always made of an equally good material, i.e. aerosol-impermeable. The main issue is the large differences in the mesh density of individual fabrics. In experiments with various materials, the effectiveness (I’m talking about self-protection) sometimes dropped to 5%. At the same time, it also lowered the protection against infection of others. So I would like to warn you against putting aesthetics over effectiveness, because it is known that surgical masks are not beautiful, but although quite thin, they are made of a suitable, compact material. It may also turn out that a thicker mask will be less tight than the one made of thinner fabric – it’s a matter of the texture of the material. So I am talking about the surgical mask here as a certain standard.

Of course, we can create specialized fabrics, the so-called barrier that will protect us against pathogens better than a surgical mask.

The conclusion is actually obvious: what we cover our face with matters.

Yes, but remember: any covering of the face will reduce the spread of particles emitted during coughs or runny nose. Because, as I said, the main purpose of wearing masks is to prevent the sick person from spreading the pathogen to others. Meanwhile, I have the impression that some people think they wear cloth or surgical masks to protect themselves.

As the doctor noted, 20 percent of us protect ourselves by wearing surgical masks. What if we add further key elements of protection, i.e. distance and hand hygiene?

The final effect of these three elements will be magnified. We will not achieve the goal with one tool. If we had a mask, but dirty hands, so what if we do not contaminate it “through the air”, as we do with infected hands. Remember, if we touch an infected object or an infected hand and then touch the mouth (e.g. when eating), nose or eyes (e.g. when trying to scratch ourselves), there is a risk that we will introduce the pathogen into the body.

So is keeping your distance. If, for example, we talk to someone from a distance, while wearing a mask, the risk of infection significantly decreases, because the mask protects against spreading of the infected aerosol over a long distance, and what goes beyond the mask will not reach us thanks to the distance kept. Hence, it is so important to treat these three elements together.

How long can we use one mask? Until what point is it able to protect us?

The protection time provided by the mask is limited. The important thing is its type. However, no one has specifically listed what period it was. Because what matters here is the level of exposure. At high, this time of safe use will be shorter than at low. So we have a certain margin, which does not mean, however, that we can wear one mask for weeks. For those with filters, it’s more like a matter of days – one or two. Later I would be skeptical. Filters have limited performance.

The way the mask is stored is also of great importance. When covering the mouth and nose was obligatory only in shops or public transport, I have often witnessed someone taking a mask out of a pocket or purse and putting it on his face. Remember, put it on your lips and breathe through such a mask. It is as if we kept a toothbrush loosely in a purse or pocket and used it to brush our teeth or ate with cutlery taken straight from the street. Would we do it?

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A mask treated in this way, instead of protecting, can be a threat.

Yes. If we keep it in dirt, moisture, and then put it on the mouth, you can harm yourself. Unfortunately, later malcontents publicize the effects of such neglect, saying that infections or mycoses have occurred. If you keep food in a warm and humid place, it will become moldy as well. Material stored under these conditions can also develop mold, which can then be inhaled into the lungs.

So let’s remember: the mask is an object of personal use – we cannot treat it haphazardly. Let’s wrap it, e.g. in a zip-bag. Thanks to this, she will not be directly exposed to what surrounds her. Of course, this purse also cannot be kept for too long.

Under “normal” conditions, is mycosis a possible result of wearing masks – as the “masked opponents” mentioned by you claim?

Organ mycoses must be “earned”. Disease-causing fungi can successfully develop in our body only when we have a significant drop in immunity. Remember, the body has defense mechanisms that protect us against infections. Of course, the microbiological environment of the organism and thus the state of our local defense can be changed with e.g. antibiotics or steroids. And if an immunosuppressed (immunocompromised) person puts such a “musty” mask over his mouth and inhales mold spores, it can harm himself.

However, I would like to emphasize that the risk only exists theoretically, but is not significant in practice. If we are hygienic, we do not have immunosuppression, we do not use long-term antibiotic therapy, we have nothing to fear. It is similar with staphylococcus – because voices that the mask can lead to such an infection are also found on the Internet.

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This is not the end of the myths related to masks. In the Internet, you can come across the claim that wearing them leads to hypoxia and weakens the body’s efficiency. Research contradicts these reports …

Yes, this myth has been debunked. Experiments have shown that while wearing the mask, there is no decrease in blood oxygenation.

So where does the shortness of breath we feel when wearing a mask on our face come from?

The fact that our breathing is worse is a subjective feeling. The breathing comfort deteriorates, it becomes more difficult, the air inhaled is different from the fresh atmosphere. However, studies have shown that these inconveniences experienced by everyone, including healthy people, do not affect the final effect of breathing, which is the content of oxygen and carbon dioxide in arterial blood.

We are talking about people without respiratory problems. What about people with asthma or COPD who have very limited lung respiratory reserves? The mask must be a huge obstacle for them.

For these people, the restriction of airflow associated with wearing a mask can be a big problem. For us healthy, it is imperceptible, because our lungs have really huge reserves. Meanwhile, asthmatics or people with COPD in the advanced stage of the disease without a mask feel worse than us with a mask. So I imagine what a problem it must be for them, when they still have to put on a real mask. They certainly feel significant breathlessness.

Should such diseases exempt from the obligation to wear masks? This, after all, puts these patients at risk of infection.

Exactly. First of all, I encourage these patients to wear masks with filters that protect them more. I remind them that if they are not wearing a mask, they are not protected and if they are going, for example, in the elevator with other people, are in the store or are in other similar situations – I advise them to put on such a mask, for their own safety. Where they are alone in an open space, in a park or even on an uncrowded street, these people may be exempt from the obligation to wear a mask due to their health condition, which increases the feeling of breathlessness which is so severe for them. Of course, the basis for such people is the rule: I do not go out if I have any symptoms of infection. Because by going out without a mask, I myself pose a threat to others.

Exemption from wearing a mask applies only to people with chronic respiratory diseases without symptoms of infection. For example, a fever changes that status. So if I have symptoms, I wear a mask in public, even if I am asthmatic.

We talked about the storage of masks, their quality. There is another very important point – the way we wear them. They are supposed to cover the nose and mouth, but it happens that we wear them tucked over the chin or do not cover the nose. I have noticed the latter case even in a pharmacy with pharmacists … Does wearing the mask in this way give any protection?

The fundamental principle of wearing a mask is to fully cover the nose and mouth. This is beyond discussion. Meanwhile, Poles know that you need a mask, but how and why – it is not always well understood. Simply put: when we wear a mask anyhow, it’s as if we don’t have one at all. Such a mask will not fulfill its role.

So we need to know and understand what we are wearing masks for.

We need to know how much we protect ourselves and how much others, and not just make sure that we meet the legal requirement so as not to get into trouble. I must be aware that I am wearing a mask so that someone who does not have a cover would pay for my life.

Here you need to think in terms of community. Yes, I do something with others in mind. I don’t see wearing an uncomfortable mask as an attack on my freedom. After all, its limit is the damage that I will inflict on other people by my actions. And just not wearing a mask is such a behavior. It will be easier for you, but someone else will pay for your comfort with his life. What’s more important? Freedom is an extremely important value as long as others do not pay for it with their lives.

If you need a mask, order reusable protective masks that transport moisture well without causing chafing and excessive sweating, and filter particles at the level of over 97%. You can also buy FFP2 Adrianno Damianii filtering masks or a set of TW PLAST F 98% filtration masks by Meringer.

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