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American scientists speculate that the obligation to wear masks in public spaces alleviates the symptoms of COVID-19 as well as the asymptomatic course of new infections. If their hypotheses are confirmed, wearing masks will become a way of slowing the spread of the virus before an effective vaccine is invented.
- Studies on respiratory viruses have shown that wearing masks protects against infection by blocking pathogens leaving the nose and mouth
- The course of COVID-19 may vary depending on the dose of viruses received, argue George Rutherford Monica Gandhi scientists
- Examples of an Argentine cruise ship and American food processing plants prove that the obligation to wear masks promotes asymptomatic infections
- Zdaniem autorów badania, maseczki sprzyjają łagodzą objawy choroby a — w skali globalnej — przyczyniają się do opanowania epidemii
- You can find more about the coronavirus on the TvoiLokony home page
Variation is the prototype of vaccination. This method comes from China, it was based on the preventive infection of smallpox in healthy people in order to induce a mild infection and then immunity. Variation was common from the XNUMXth century in China, India and Turkey. In order to immunize the population, purulent discharge from slightly sick people with smallpox was transferred to healthy people, especially children. Variation was practiced until the introduction of the vaccine that eventually eradicated the smallpox.
By wearing the mask, your illness is milder
Scientists drew attention to the need to wear masks in the spring, when it turned out that presymptomatic and asymptomatic people excrete as many viruses through the nose and mouth as those with increased symptoms of COVID-19. In this situation, the mask has become the main means of protection against catching an infection from an asymptomatic person.
- Why should everyone wear face masks? Scientists explain
The topic was taken up by two researchers at the University of California in San Francisco – Professor George Rutherford, specializing in epidemiology and biostatistics, and Professor Monica Gandhi, dealing with AIDS research. Their collaboration resulted in an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Previous studies of other respiratory viruses have provided them with evidence that wearing masks protects against infection by blocking pathogens from entering the nose and mouth. Epidemiological studies conducted in Asian countries in 2003 during the SARS pandemic showed a relationship between the obligation to wear masks in public spaces and pandemic control. In contrast, the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections among health workers in Boston has decreased after the introduction of mandatory masks in hospitals.
Koronawirus wywołuje różnorodne objawy kliniczne, od całkowitego ich braku po zapalenie płuc, zespół ostrej niewydolności oddechowej czy śmierć. Analiza danych wirusologicznych i epidemiologicznych doprowadziła badaczy do hipotezy, że osoby, które zakaziły się nosząc maseczkę, przechodzą COVID-19 łagodniej. Potwierdza to teoria patogenezy wirusów, która mówi, że przebieg choroby jest proporcjonalny do otrzymanej dawki wirusów.
- COVID-19 hairdressers served 139 clients and no one got infected. How it’s possible?
On determining the lethal dose of viruses – at which 50 percent die. infected (LD50) – scientists have been puzzling since 1938. In the case of SARS-CoV-2 infection, high doses of viruses can upset the immune defenses, increasing the severity of the disease. Evidence came from a study in which Syrian hamster SARS-CoV-2 was infected. Higher doses of the administered virus resulted in more severe symptoms.
If the dose of viruses is important in the course of the infection, wearing face masks may reduce it. As the masks filter out some of the droplets containing pathogens, they also limit their inhalation. Thus, the universal obligation to wear masks may contribute to an increase in the percentage of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. The CDC estimated the rate of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections in the US in July at 40%, but recent data indicate that in facilities where the wearing of masks is mandatory, it has exceeded 80%. This is evidence supporting the above hypothesis.
Countries that made masks mandatory in public spaces had lower rates of severe COVID-19 and deaths. This suggests a transition from symptomatic to asymptomatic infections.
An experiment with Syrian hamsters simulating the masking of animals showed that animals wearing masks were less likely to become infected. However, if they had already become infected, they either had no symptoms or they were milder than those without masks.
Another example is the epidemic on an Argentine cruise ship. During the quarantine, passengers were provided with surgical masks and staff with N95 masks. As a result, the percentage of asymptomatic infections was 81%. (compared with 20% on ships where passengers did not receive masks).
Are you infected with the coronavirus or someone close to you has COVID-19? Or maybe you work in the health service? Would you like to share your story or report any irregularities that you have witnessed or affected? Write to us at: [email protected]. We guarantee anonymity!
W amerykańskich zakładach przetwórstwa spożywczego, które dwukrotnie stały się ogniskiem epidemii, wszystkim pracownikom wydawano codziennie maseczki. Wymagano też ich noszenia. Odsetek bezobjawowych infekcji wśród ponad 500 zakażonych, wynosił 95 proc. Zaledwie 5 proc. zatrudnionych miało objawy łagodne lub umiarkowane.
SARS-CoV-2 has been circulating around the world for over eight months, but some epidemiological models suggest that reinfection is rare. Meanwhile, scientists are trying to elucidate the nature of the adaptive immune response to the coronavirus. In recent weeks, data have emerged to suggest that even a mild or asymptomatic infection causes a strong response. Therefore, any strategy that leads to the alleviation of the symptoms of the disease should also increase the immunity of the population.
- What is the best protection against coronavirus infection? New research results
Aby przetestować hipotezę, że powszechny obowiązek noszenia maseczek jest jedną z tych strategii, potrzeba dalszych badań. Trzeba porównać wskaźniki infekcji bezobjawowych na obszarach, na których wprowadzono restrykcje z obszarami, gdzie ich nie było. Natomiast, aby przetestować hipotezę wariolizacji, potrzeba badań porównujących siłę i trwałość odporności swoistej dla SARS-CoV-2 u osób z infekcją bezobjawową i objawową. Powinno się także wykazać naturalne spowolnienie transmisji wirusa w miejscach z wysokim odsetkiem infekcji bezobjawowych.
See also:
- Which masks best protect against coronavirus infection? Ranking according to the latest research
- Can we wear helmets instead of face masks?
- How much virus is in the “cough cloud”? This is another proof that masks are worth wearing
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