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Report
Date: Sept. 3, 2009
Contacts: Christine Stencel,
Senior Media Relations Officer
Alison Burnette, Media Relations
Assistant
Office of News and Public
Information
202-334-2138; e-mail
<news@nas.edu>
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
IOM Recommends N95 Respirators
to Protect Health Care Workers From H1N1
Flu,
Cautions Against Reliance on a
Single Strategy to Control
Infection
WASHINGTON -- Health care workers who interact
with patients suspected or confirmed to be
infected with novel H1N1 influenza A -- the new
strain of pandemic flu -- should wear fitted
N95 respirators, which filter better than
looser medical masks, to help guard against
respiratory infection by the virus, says a new
report from the Institute of
Medicine. The report endorses the
current U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention guidelines for respiratory
protection against this novel flu virus, also
commonly referred to as swine
flu. However, wearing N95
respirators should be only one element of
workers' and health care organizations'
infection control strategies, stressed the
committee that wrote the report.
While the CDC guidelines and the report's
recommendations are based on the best available
information and evidence, scientists do not
know to what extent flu viruses spread through
the air or whether infection requires physical
contact with contaminated fluids or
surfaces. The report calls for a
boost in research to answer these questions and
to design and develop better protective
equipment that would enhance workers' comfort,
safety, and ability to do their jobs.
"Based on what we currently know about
influenza, well-fitted N95 respirators offer
health care workers the best protection against
inhalation of viral particles," said committee
chair Kenneth Shine, executive vice chancellor
for health affairs,
University of Texas System, Austin, and former
president of the Institute of
Medicine. "But there is a lot we
still don't know about these viruses, and it
would be a mistake for anyone to rely on
respirators alone as some sort of magic
shield. Health care
organizations and their employees should
establish and practice a number of strategies
to guard against infection, such as innovative
triage processes, handwashing, disinfection,
gloves, vaccination, and antiviral drug
use."
In the event that the new pandemic virus
creates a surge of patients during the upcoming
flu season, it will be critical to protect
health care workers from infection given their
central role in treating sick people and
lessening the pandemic's overall
impact.
The Institute of Medicine was asked to evaluate
personal protective equipment designed to guard
against respiratory infection specifically, and
therefore the committee focused on the efficacy
of medical masks and respirators.
Studies have shown that inhalation of airborne
viruses is a likely route of flu infection,
supporting the use of respiratory protection
during an outbreak even though it is not clear
whether airborne transmission is the sole or
main way the disease spreads.
N95 respirators and medical masks cover the
nose and mouth. Although similar
in appearance, medical masks fit loosely on
wearers' faces, and respirators are designed to
form a tight seal against the wearer's
skin. If properly fitted and
worn correctly, N95 respirators filter out at
least 95 percent of particles as small as 0.3
micrometers, which is smaller than influenza
viruses, the report notes.
Given the short time frame of this study, the
committee was not asked to discuss issues
associated with implementing its
recommendations, such as costs and supplies, or
to assess the impact of other infection control
measures, such as vaccination or prophylactic
use of antiviral drugs. However,
the committee underscored the importance of
using a range of infection control strategies
to minimize the chances for exposure and
infection for health care workers.
The study was sponsored by the CDC and
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration. Established in
1970 under the charter of the National Academy
of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine provides
independent, objective, evidence-based advice
to policymakers, health professionals, the
private sector, and the
public. The National Academy
of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering,
Institute of Medicine, and National Research
Council make up the National
Academies. A committee
roster follows.
Copies of
Respiratory Protection
for Healthcare Workers in the Workplace Against
Novel H1N1 Influenza A
are available from
the National Academies Press; tel. 202-334-3313
or 1-800-624-6242 or on the Internet at
http://www.nap.edu.
Reporters may obtain a copy from
the Office of News and Public Information
(contacts listed
above).
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