It turns out that N95 respiratory masks may be no better than ordinary disposable surgical masks for preventing H1N1 swine flu. In September 2009, researchers reported that only N95 masks could provide significant protection against H1N1. But now, the same group of researchers report that updated results of their research reveal that this is not the case.

These new results were presented at the Infectious Diseases Society of America 47^th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. To date, all of the research on the N95 mask and the H1N1 flu virus has been done in health care workers who have a higher risk of H1N1 exposure than the average person. The good news is – regular disposable surgical masks are a lot less expensive and easier to find than the N95 mask.

So, it seems that, if you want to protect yourself against H1N1 swine flu, the best thing to do is to get your flu shots – both the seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 flu vaccine (if you can find it).

Source:

Infectious Diseases Society of America 47^th Annual Meeting. Presented 31 October 2009.