Face mask use and control of respiratory virus transmission in households.
Many countries are stockpiling face masks for use as a nonpharmaceutical intervention to control virus transmission during an influenza pandemic. We conducted a prospective cluster-randomized trial comparing surgical masks, non-fit-tested P2 masks, and no masks in prevention of influenza-like illness (ILI) in households. Mask use adherence was self-reported. During the 2006 and 2007 winter seasons, 286 exposed adults from 143 households who had been exposed to a child with clinical respiratory illness were recruited. We found that adherence to mask use significantly reduced the risk for ILI-associated infection, but <50% of participants wore masks most of the time. We concluded that household use of face masks is associated with low adherence and is ineffective for controlling seasonal respiratory disease. However, during a severe pandemic when use of face masks might be greater, pandemic transmission in households could be reduced.
MacIntyre
C Raina
CR
niversity of New South Wales School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. r.macintyre@unsw.edu.au
Cauchemez
Simon
S
Dwyer
Dominic E
DE
Seale
Holly
H
Cheung
Pamela
P
Browne
Gary
G
Fasher
Michael
M
Wood
James
J
Gao
Zhanhai
Z
Booy
Robert
R
Ferguson
Neil
N
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005191:Family Characteristics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D008397:Masks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D012621:Seasons; D016896:Treatment Outcome