title: Face mask use and control of respiratory virus transmission in households.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: niversity of New South Wales School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. r.macintyre@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: C Raina
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: MacIntyre
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cauchemez
authors.forename: Dominic E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Dwyer
authors.forename: Holly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Seale
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Browne
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fasher
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Zhanhai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Booy
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ferguson
mesh_terms: 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