我們有關(guān)于口罩的壞消息要告訴你

我們有關(guān)于口罩的壞消息要告訴你

The US Surgeon General has urged the public not to buy face masks to protect against the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, warning they are largely ineffective at protecting against the viral infection in public.

美國衛(wèi)生局局長敦促公眾不要購買口罩來預(yù)防正在爆發(fā)的冠狀病毒，并警告稱，口罩在預(yù)防公眾感染病毒方面基本無效。

They are, however, a useful tool for doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals who are consistently in close proximity to infected individuals. So, to prevent vital medical resources from running dry, the Surgeon General, Dr Jerome M Adams, has warned against rushing out to buy face masks.

然而，對于醫(yī)生、護(hù)士和衛(wèi)生保健專業(yè)人員來說，它們是一種有用的工具，因?yàn)樗麄兛偸桥c受感染的人密切接觸。因此，為了防止重要的醫(yī)療資源枯竭，衛(wèi)生局局長杰羅姆·M·亞當(dāng)斯博士警告人們不要急于購買口罩。

Tom Hale

“Seriously people – STOP BUYING MASKS!” Dr Adams tweeted over the weekend.

“說真的，人們——別再買口罩了!”亞當(dāng)斯博士周末在推特上寫道。

“They are NOT effective in preventing the general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!”

“它們不能有效地防止公眾感染冠狀病毒，但如果醫(yī)療服務(wù)提供者不能讓它們照顧病人，就會把它們和我們的社區(qū)置于危險之中!”

Jeffrey Swisher, chairman of California Pacific Medical Center’s department of anesthesiology, has also tweeted that "viral particles are too small and the filtration ability of surgical masks is insufficient" to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus. He added: "Surgical masks protect you as a patient in the operating room from bacterial contamination. Stop buying and hoarding them!"

加州太平洋醫(yī)療中心麻醉科主任杰弗里·斯威舍爾也在推特上表示，“病毒顆粒太小，口罩的過濾能力不足”，無法阻止新型冠狀病毒的傳播。他補(bǔ)充說:“外科口罩可以保護(hù)手術(shù)室里的病人免受細(xì)菌污染。停止購買和囤積!”

Selangor, Malaysia - January 18, 2020: A convenience store warns customers they have sold out of face masks. Jeentai/Shutterstock

Indeed, some parts of the world are already experiencing shortness of medical supplies, including face masks, in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Increased demand for face masks has also seen price surges and counterfeit products.

事實(shí)上，在冠狀病毒爆發(fā)后，世界上一些地方已經(jīng)出現(xiàn)了醫(yī)療用品短缺，包括口罩。口罩需求的增加也導(dǎo)致了價格飆升和假冒產(chǎn)品的出現(xiàn)。

“There are severe strains on protective equipment around the world. Our primary concern is to ensure that our front line health workers are protected and that they have the equipment they need to do their jobs,” Dr Michael J Ryan, executive director of the health emergency program at the World Health Organization, said during a press conference on Friday.

“世界各地的防護(hù)裝備都承受著嚴(yán)重的壓力。世界衛(wèi)生組織衛(wèi)生應(yīng)急項(xiàng)目執(zhí)行主任Michael J Ryan博士在周五的新聞發(fā)布會上說:“我們最關(guān)心的是確保我們的一線衛(wèi)生工作者得到保護(hù)，確保他們擁有完成工作所需的設(shè)備。”

The CDC states there is no need for the general population to be wearing face masks every day in public, but there is some evidence that suggests it’s useful for infected individuals to wear a mask in order to hamper viral transmission to others.

美國疾病控制與預(yù)防中心表示，普通人沒有必要每天在公共場合戴口罩，但有證據(jù)表明，為了防止病毒傳播，受感染的人戴口罩是有用的。

“There is very little evidence that wearing such masks protects the wearer from infection,” explained Dr Ben Killingley, Consultant in Acute Medicine and Infectious Diseases at University College London Hospital. “For example, studies have shown that wearing of masks by individuals in a household that contains an influenza-infected person does not confer significant protection.”

倫敦大學(xué)學(xué)院醫(yī)院急性醫(yī)學(xué)和傳染病顧問本·基林利博士解釋說:“很少有證據(jù)表明戴這樣的口罩可以保護(hù)佩戴者不受感染。例如，研究表明，家中有流感感染者的個人戴口罩并不能起到顯著的保護(hù)作用。”

“Specific respirator masks are worn by healthcare workers when looking after sick people but this situation is very different from the general public wearing surgical face masks, particularly when outside and when not in close contact with symptomatic individuals.”

“醫(yī)護(hù)人員在照顧病人時需要佩戴特定的口罩，但這種情況與一般公眾佩戴外科口罩有很大不同，尤其是在室外或與有癥狀的人沒有密切接觸時。”

There are a few simple things you can do to reduce the risk of being infected with the novel coronavirus (or any virus for that matter). First and foremost: wash your hands regularly and thoroughly using soap and warm water. Touching surfaces that are handled by many different people in public, such as handrails or door handles, are particularly useful for hitchhiking viruses, so it’s worth paying extra attention to your hand hygiene while out and about. It’s also a good idea to avoid touching your face, specifically your mouth, nose, and eyes.

為了降低感染新型冠狀病毒(或任何病毒)的風(fēng)險，你可以做一些簡單的事情。首先也是最重要的:經(jīng)常徹底地用肥皂和溫水洗手。在公共場合接觸許多不同人接觸過的物體表面，比如扶手或門把手，這對搭車攜帶病毒特別有用，所以出門在外時要格外注意手部衛(wèi)生。避免觸摸臉也是個好主意，特別是嘴巴、鼻子和眼睛。