Open AccessThe N-95 mask: invaluable ally in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic
Author(s) -
Zarir F Udwadia,
Reyma Sara Raju
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
lung india
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.457
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 0974-598X
pISSN - 0970-2113
DOI - 10.4103/lungindia.lungindia_339_20
Subject(s) - personal protective equipment , covid-19 , pandemic , medicine , battle , medical emergency , reuse , intensive care medicine , virology , pathology , engineering , disease , archaeology , outbreak , infectious disease (medical specialty) , history , waste management
The present COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the airborne SARS-CoV-2 virus, has highlighted the vital importance of appropriate personal protective equipment for all exposed health care workers. The single most important part of this armor is the N-95 mask. With the awareness that the virus is spread by both droplets and through the aerosolized route, the N-95 provides protection that a surgical mask cannot match. This timely review looks at the special advantages that an N-95 offers over a surgical mask with specific reference to the COVID-19 epidemic. It also emphasizes the crucial importance of ensuring quality masks with a proper fit. Finally, with acute scarcities of N-95 masks being reported from hospitals globally, it reviews recent literature which attempts to prolong the life of these masks with extended use, reuse and decontamination of used masks.