Are N95 respirators required for health care providers, or are simple facemasks OK?
A. All healthcare personnel who enter the rooms of patients in isolation for swine influenza should wear a fit-tested disposable N95 respirator or equivalent (e.g., powered air purifying respirator) and should be donned upon room entry. Note: This recommendation is stronger than current infection control guidance for seasonal influenza, which recommends that healthcare personnel need only surgical masks for patient care. Source: CDC http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/healthcare/maskguidancehc.
