Wearing mask on plane

Japanese tourists routinely wear masks on flights..for many years. Back in June when the first wave of SF hit the US and Europe, I flew to Paris on Continental airlines out of Newark. Most of the passengers were French and most of them were wearing masks. On the return flight out of Amsterdam (a week later) nobody was wearing masks.

Two weeks ago I was in London for a week, and nobody was wearing any masks in either direction. I don't possess a medical degree but I have my doubts on how effective a mask will be. Sure it may offer some protection on the flight, but when you arrive in Italy you're going to be around lots of people in lots of places. Unless you wear a mask 24/7 in your travels, there's no way to really shield yourself from exposure.

Unless you are wearing a respirator or a properly rated mask, you won't be doing anything to protect yourself.

Generally, the Japanese (and others) that you see wearing masks are doing so to protect others from their illness, not to protect themselves. Same applies to doctors and nurses in operating rooms, they are not protecting themselves from you, but are protecting you from their germs.

So, what do you do? Get vaccinated, wash your hands, don't touch your mouth and nose. A mask isn't going to do much else to improve your situation.

I think masks are of mainly psychological benefit to the wearer. A couple of weeks ago I was in Korea and in China and saw a lot of mask wearers on planes and in the airport.

Of course the SARS and bird flu episodes have made Asian airports more insistent on precautions than I have seen in US or European airports. Both in Seoul and Beijing I had to fill out a health form, I had my temperature taken, and I was looked over by a health worker looking for flu symptoms. In Beijing, once I had been given the "all clear" I was given a card warning me not to use public transportation or be in any place where the public might congregate for seven days. (About an hour later, after stopping at an ATM for cash and enjoying a venti latte, I took the subway from the airport into town anyway.)

A mask won't do much...however..you might want to bring some antiseptic towelettes to wipe off your tray table, armrest, and anything else you might touch. And, you know that little in the seat back where they keep the magazines--it's rarely thoroughly cleaned.

Your Doctor recommended this?

As someone who flys at least three or four flights a month and recently did a flight to Paris....HUH? I have seen ONE person with a mask. (I also have not had the flu, swine. I can't recall the last cold I got)

Sure you can wear it, but how are you going to drink anything? Dehydration would seem to be a bigger issue IMHO.

Or are you going to take the mask off to eat and drink? Then it's not going to work.

To protect yourself, you would need to wear a properly fitted N95 respirator, not just a typical surgical mask. And trust me, you would not want to wear an N95 mask all the way Italy, much less for more than a few minutes. The others who replied earlier gave you the best advice- hand-washing, and don't touch your face any more than necessary.

Seriously - your doctor recommended this? What kind of doctor is he, a doctor of mixology?

Honestly, if this is the quality of medical advice I was getting from my doctor, I'd be inclined to view the rest of his advice with some skepticism.

A surgical type mask won't filter the virus. Even an N-95 "respirator" won't give you perfect protection. N-95's only have a useful life of six hours, so you probably need two for your flight. Properly fitted sounds a little too serious as does "respirator". It looks like a shop mask (and can be purchased at home improvement stores) and is properly fitted as long as you are breathing through the mask rather than gaps around your nose and chin.

A mask will keep liquid droplets off your face. It's more likely to help, combined with some type of glasses, by keeping you from self inoculating. When you touch the T area (eyes, nose and mouth) you transfer any virus your hands pick up into your system. Most people, myself included, touch these areas regularly and often without thinking about it.

Using hand sanitizer regularly also helps limit your exposure to viruses.

Since it’s impossible to get the H1N1 vaccine at present (unless you’re in a high risk group), follow the advice already provided and have a good trip. One additional piece of advice that might be worth exploring is to check out a travel insurance policy or two. Considering the high cost of change fees for your non-refundable/non-changeable airline tickets, it might be a small amount of money well spent should you fall ill immediately before or during your trip. As for the mask, that’s a ridiculous prescription from someone who should know better. It will not protect you. And, what would your fellow passengers think if you were to show up in a mask? I recently did some volunteer work with someone who was wearing a surgical mask for no apparent reason other than fear of flu…nobody wanted to get within 10 feet of her, yet she was completely healthy. Relax…have a great trip.

I saw someone wear a mask into a meat market because there was pork...

Thank you for all the input. I think my doctor was suggesting a mask to allay any concerns I have. I wanted to make an informed decision. I don't fall in to the at risk category, and am a pretty healthy person. I know I would feel pretty silly wearing a mask, that's why I was doing my research. Thanks for all of your tips. Will follow them and enjoy Italy.

Forget the flue mask and wear a Lone Ranger mask. You can still drink and think of all the interesting people you'll meet. This would be even more effective if you could somehow incorporate a disposable lighter into your shoe laces.

Sorry, I have nothing useful to add to this post except this information about our hockey team. Normally the Vancouver Canucks fly on a private chartered flight between games across the continent. But if they are sick with the flu in order not to infect the rest of the team they are put on commercial flights with the general public.

CBC News Story:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/11/12/bc-canucks-flu-travel.html

That's pretty cheap on the part of a professional team.

When the quarterback of my alma mater showed flu like symptoms a few weeks ago, he and two other players with the same symptoms were not allowed to fly on the team's chartered aircraft either.

Instead, the university's own corporate jet flew them. They won that game as they have every other game this season.

Or,, we could say thats pretty wasteful of a school ..( they ARE supposed to be about education,, not games )

Universities have corporate jets,!?!?, no wonder a college has to charge the kind of tutition that puts many families in poor houses..

Look at it this way, Pat...the school is a state school that has seen its state funding reduced. They don't want to raise tuition so they need to find outside funding:

Winning sports teams can bring in millions of dollars in endorsements and extra donations by alumni; (This can be in the tens of millions of dollars).

Attracting corporate research money to aid in development of all types of drugs, products, machines, brings grant money for students;

The jet helps to bring potential student athletes as well as corporate executives to the University which is located in a smaller town with limited airline service. (It pays for itself.)

And since it's a state school, the state technically owns the aircraft and it is also used for state business.

There are lots of others...but if athletics and the plane didn't make money for the university, both would be gone.

I work for a Japanese company and spend a lot of time in Japan, and over there you routinely see people wearing masks, because it is considered polite when you have a cold to wear one. The main purpose of the mask is going to be to keep a person with swineflu from sending aerosolized droplets containing the virus all over the place. A healthy person wearing a mask is going to get some benefit in situations where they are close to a person who sneezes or coughs without covering their mouth; you are going to be able to avoid breathing in the droplets while they are in the air. However, you will have them settling on your body. And I am willing to wager that most people catch illnesses not from directly breathing in droplets from someone's cough or sneeze, but from touching doorknobs, handrails, etc. that have been touched by sick people. So sure, wear a mask if it makes you feel better, and you will actually get some protection, but you will get the most protection by washing your hands frequently, getting lots of rest and eating properly, especially stuff with lots of C and B vitamins.