What is a Surgical Mask?
Health professionals, to avoid transferring bacteria from their mouths to patients, usually wear a surgical mask, during surgery, or when visiting vulnerable patients. The surgical mask may also protect against blood splatters from a patient during surgeries. It is usually made of paper or synthetic materials suitable for one-time use only. Some people also wear a paper or synthetic surgical mask to protect themselves from pollen inhalation during hayfever months. This may provide some benefit, and help reduce inhaled pollen, but again it should not be reused. Because a sterile mask is not necessary when you are trying to avoid pollen, there are better face masks than the sterile surgical mask to keep pollen out of the nose and mouth. Others use a surgical mask to protect themselves from disease, but this is actually not a benefit of the mask. When Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreaks in China, Hong Kong and Vietnam threatened the local population, many could be seen wear
Health professionals, to avoid transferring bacteria from their mouths to patients, usually wear a surgical mask, during surgery, or when visiting vulnerable patients. The surgical mask may also protect against blood splatters from a patient during surgeries. It is usually made of paper or synthetic materials suitable for one-time use only. Some people also wear a paper or synthetic surgical mask to protect themselves from pollen inhalation during hayfever months. This may provide some benefit, and help reduce inhaled pollen, but again it should not be reused. Because a sterile mask is not necessary when you are trying to avoid pollen, there are better face masks than the sterile surgical mask to keep pollen out of the nose and mouth. Others use a surgical mask to protect themselves from disease, but this is actually not a benefit of the mask.
