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Fever alarms, paranoia as masked passengers fly from China

8 Comments
By CATHY BUSSEWITZ, JOSEPH PISANI and RACHEL LERMAN

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8 Comments
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The sad thing is that the average mask won't help prevent people from catching the virus. The average mask that they sell here in Japan is useless even against droplet type pathogens. They don't posses the double filter that surgical masks posses and that is what is needed at a bare minimum.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

It hasn't gotten to the point of panic, but it sure seems to me that it wont be long before it does if the numbers keep increasing!

Consider the following though...

The CDC estimates that influenza has resulted in between 9 million – 45 million illnesses, between 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 – 61,000 deaths annually since 2010.

People forget that they are faced with THAT yearly, yet dont get even 1/1000th as excited as they are about this virus!

Use common sense precautions!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

JJ Jetplane

Google!!??

Can't trust that,

I found a much more authoritative source of information on masks.

Japan Today.

https://japantoday.com/category/features/health/do-masks-offer-protection-from-new-virus-it-depends

Gary

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Thank you Yubaru: Yes, its a disturbing situation but good to see you pointing out the comparative infections/deaths of Influenza. Common sense/Quarantine/Limited Movement of Population will soon put an end to this.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

China has reported more than 7,800 cases, including 170 deaths,

I did not expect the number of cases to increase that much, so the final number will probably be higher than my predicted 17, 000. However, it could hit a million and not be anything significant because there are millions of cases of the flu in the U.S. alone and deaths in China are going to have to hit 50, 000 to match the mildest flu season on record in America on a per capita basis. America's mildest flu season in the last 10 years had 12, 000 deaths, and China has more than 4X America's (legal) population. So 50, 000 dead in China will match a mundane flu season in the U.S. You have to die from something and average people simply don't worry about heart attacks and bad colds. If it happens, it happens.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@kag

Google. Wonderful gateway for people just learning how to research. Also, ask a health physician. It's not new information.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@JJ Jetplane Please do produce your source and information, i don't see how droplets can pass through. The masks

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

There are cases where hazmats can't even prevent infection so wearing mask and eye protection are just minimal measures and for the most part psychological assurance. Same thing as scanning for body temperature because there's a incubation period. And the virus may have mutated already. Negative result may turn into positive later. So it's all down to luck.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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