Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q) have demonstrated the effectiveness of medical face masks in helping to prevent respiratory infections like Covid-19 and strongly recommend their use by the public along with other preventive measures to help mitigate the spread of the disease.
The research, published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, was conducted by faculty from the college’s Institute for Population Health (IPH). They carried out a meta-analysis of previous studies on the efficacy of medical face mask use in community settings for preventing flu, flu-like illnesses and other respiratory infections such as SARS and the novel coronavirus.
The research is authored by Dr Karima Chaabna, population health and communications specialist in IPH and instructor in population health sciences, Dr Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy, assistant director of IPH and instructor in population health sciences, Dr Ravinder Mamtani, vice dean for student affairs-admissions, population health, and lifestyle medicine and professor of population health sciences and Dr Sohaila Cheema, assistant dean of IPH and assistant professor of population health sciences.
Although transmission of Covid-19 through close contact with an infected person or contact with a contaminated surface is recognised, the efficacy of face masks in reducing transmission in household situations and public settings like supermarkets has been contested, and recommendations have been inconsistent.
Dr Cheema said: “Globally, there has been a lack of consensus from the leadership and health organisations to offer united recommendations about face mask use to prevent Covid-19 transmission. In countries such as the US, face masks have proved divisive and have even been politicised, so we wanted to ascertain - with as much confidence as possible - whether there was hard evidence to support the use of face masks in preventing respiratory disease transmission.”
The research group evaluated 12 primary studies which had previously examined medical face mask use and found that the incidence of transmission of respiratory infections was lower if medical face masks were used early and used in conjunction with stringent hand hygiene. One study conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic found that medical face masks were of particular use in infection control if worn before an individual displayed symptoms of infection.
But the WCM-Q study - which is entitled ‘Face mask use in community settings to prevent respiratory infection transmission: A rapid review and meta-analysis’ – was unable to find any evidence that cloth face masks were effective in reducing transmission in community settings. It should also be mentioned here that there was one study - performed in a healthcare setting - which demonstrated that healthcare workers who wore a two-layer cloth face mask were 13 times more likely to be infected with respiratory illnesses than those who wore medical face masks.
However, this does not mean that cloth face masks are not of use, rather that medical-grade masks are more effective.
The authors suggest that the efficacy of cloth face masks is likely to depend on the number of layers they contain, and the material used.
Dr Mamtani said: “The evidence is quite clear that medical face masks should be worn by both healthy and sick individuals in order to reduce virus transmission. The effectiveness of medical face masks obviously depends on them being used correctly and we cannot overstate enough that face masks alone should not be relied upon; we must all continue to practice all preventive measures including physical distancing and rigorous hand hygiene to minimise the risk of both spreading Covid-19 and contracting it.
“The evidence for the use of cloth face masks is inconclusive. Because of this, we would recommend the use of medical face masks, but if there is no alternative it would appear to be prudent to wear a cloth face mask in community settings.”
The full study and its findings can be read at https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(20)32150-0/fulltext
The research is authored by Dr Karima Chaabna, population health and communications specialist in IPH and instructor in population health sciences, Dr Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy, assistant director of IPH and instructor in population health sciences, Dr Ravinder Mamtani, vice dean for student affairs-admissions, population health, and lifestyle medicine and professor of population health sciences and Dr Sohaila Cheema, assistant dean of IPH and assistant professor of population health sciences.
Although transmission of Covid-19 through close contact with an infected person or contact with a contaminated surface is recognised, the efficacy of face masks in reducing transmission in household situations and public settings like supermarkets has been contested, and recommendations have been inconsistent.
Dr Cheema said: “Globally, there has been a lack of consensus from the leadership and health organisations to offer united recommendations about face mask use to prevent Covid-19 transmission. In countries such as the US, face masks have proved divisive and have even been politicised, so we wanted to ascertain - with as much confidence as possible - whether there was hard evidence to support the use of face masks in preventing respiratory disease transmission.”
The research group evaluated 12 primary studies which had previously examined medical face mask use and found that the incidence of transmission of respiratory infections was lower if medical face masks were used early and used in conjunction with stringent hand hygiene. One study conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic found that medical face masks were of particular use in infection control if worn before an individual displayed symptoms of infection.
But the WCM-Q study - which is entitled ‘Face mask use in community settings to prevent respiratory infection transmission: A rapid review and meta-analysis’ – was unable to find any evidence that cloth face masks were effective in reducing transmission in community settings. It should also be mentioned here that there was one study - performed in a healthcare setting - which demonstrated that healthcare workers who wore a two-layer cloth face mask were 13 times more likely to be infected with respiratory illnesses than those who wore medical face masks.
However, this does not mean that cloth face masks are not of use, rather that medical-grade masks are more effective.
The authors suggest that the efficacy of cloth face masks is likely to depend on the number of layers they contain, and the material used.
Dr Mamtani said: “The evidence is quite clear that medical face masks should be worn by both healthy and sick individuals in order to reduce virus transmission. The effectiveness of medical face masks obviously depends on them being used correctly and we cannot overstate enough that face masks alone should not be relied upon; we must all continue to practice all preventive measures including physical distancing and rigorous hand hygiene to minimise the risk of both spreading Covid-19 and contracting it.
“The evidence for the use of cloth face masks is inconclusive. Because of this, we would recommend the use of medical face masks, but if there is no alternative it would appear to be prudent to wear a cloth face mask in community settings.”
The full study and its findings can be read at https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(20)32150-0/fulltext