Masks are useless in cases like pandemic flu. First off, the virus is small enough to get through the pores of the mask unless you invest big bucks in a respirator mask, which is ugly AND uncomfortable, and second, because most people don't know how to properly put on a regular mask so it's effective.
@5, wrong. Yes, viruses can get through the pores, but the virus spread through explosive sneezes and coughs, which propel it at speed -- unless you're wearing a mask, in which case the stop right there. Maybe some of it squeezes past, but it just falls on your shirt instead of spraying six feet across the bus aisle. Masks are HUGELY USEFUL for this. A loose-fitting, crappy construction mask is about 99.99% as effective as a high-end one for this. Hell, so's a handkerchief if you use it right.
Actually, I heard on the radio (an NPR interview with CDC personnel, I believe) that the greatest value of the mask is that it keeps your hands off your mouth and nose.
@5, wrong. Yes, viruses can get through the pores, but the virus spread through explosive sneezes and coughs, which propel it at speed -- unless you're wearing a mask, in which case the stop right there.
Combine the porousness of the mask with the fact that most people wear them improperly, and you've got virus spraying willy-nilly (that's a clinical term we use at the hospital) in every direction with every cough or sneeze.
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