If you haven’t had time to get vaccinated or the vaccine hasn’t started working yet, what are the best ways to reduce the chance of catching the flu? Today we are going to share with you a simple and effective method – wearing a mask. Wearing a mask may seem simple, but it is also a bit of a learning curve. Some people don’t have the awareness of wearing a mask. In the survey data of Beijing Xicheng District CDC, 48% of the patients who visited the clinic with fever seldom or never used a mask. 43.2% of the patients who wore masks wore masks to avoid infecting others, 40% wore masks to avoid air pollution, and 38.4% wore masks to avoid others infecting themselves. Some people feel that wearing a mask to breathe is more difficult than before, so they wear it for a few minutes and let their nose and mouth out to “get some air”, which is similar to not wearing it. If the mask is not kept well, the inner layer will be contaminated with pathogens, and it will be easy to contaminate the nasal cavity and mouth when used again. How to choose and wear a mask correctly? First of all, you need to identify several types of masks commonly used in the market. The types of masks often available on the market are: cotton masks (Figure A), medical surgical masks (Figure B), and N95 masks (Figure C), which are made of different materials and have different filtration effects, and therefore have different uses. A, general cotton mask: basically does not have the role of preventing infectious diseases, but there is a certain effect of dustproof and warm, for the nasal cavity, the whistle tract is more sensitive to the temperature and environment is a good choice. B, medical surgical mask: good breathability, dust and water resistance, light weight, can avoid splashing liquid and spray contact to the mouth and nasal cavity, is the most commonly used class of protective masks. C, N95 masks: the most closely wrap the face ideal, can effectively prevent pathogens and airborne pathogenic particles into the whistle and nasal cavity, disease prevention effect, anti-haze effect are better than medical surgical masks; disadvantage is poor breathability when wearing, whistle resistance is large, not recommended for pregnant women or patients suffering from chronic whistle, cardiovascular disease wear, also not suitable for long time wear. After understanding the characteristics of the above-mentioned masks, we should choose the right mask for ourselves. Mask selection should pay attention to several aspects: the size of the mask should be appropriate, fit the face, material table as one, thickness and logo consistent, complete packaging, independent packaging is best, but also note that the mask should be within the shelf life. The next step in choosing a good mask should know how to properly wear a mask to prevent the flu 1, which cases should wear a mask If the flu epidemic season, in airports, subways, train stations, cinemas, shopping malls and other relatively confined public environments, patients with respiratory symptoms should take the initiative to wear a mask to reduce the spread of the virus around. During the influenza epidemic season, healthy people should wear masks when entering areas with high population density to prevent the virus from being discharged by other people’s sneezing and coughing and to avoid the spread of disease caused by contaminated hands touching their own mouths and noses, which can be removed when leaving these environments. To understand the prevalence of influenza, you can pay attention to the media information tips, our public number is also updated for you; 2, those things before and after wearing the mask (1) wash your hands before wearing the mask: you should wash your hands before wearing the mask or in the process of wearing the mask to avoid hand contact with the inner side of the mask to reduce the possibility of the mask being contaminated. (2) Separate the mask inside and outside, up and down: medical surgical masks from the outside to the inside for, water barrier layer, filter layer, moisture absorption layer, the role played by different, so pay attention to the inner and outer layer (the following chart). Do not bring the opposite, not to mention the two sides in turn to wear. Pay attention to the upper and lower side of the mask, the upper side is a shape-shifting nose strip (metal strip), which can increase the fit of the mask and face and improve the filtration effect. (3) when wearing will have pleated side outward, aluminum seal up, and then two leather band fixed in both ears (Figure A) the metal strip on the mask along the bridge of the nose and face on both sides of the press tight, in order to facilitate the mask completely fit the face (Figure B), pull open the mask pleats, so that the mask completely cover the mouth, nose and chin (Figure C) For N95 and other medical protective masks, wear through the eye lens whether the fogging, mask around Whether the air is leaking to judge. The better the mask fits with the face, the better the protection effect. (4) Take off the mask: wash your hands before taking off the mask, remove the leather band of the mask from both ears, avoid touching the outside part of the mask, discard the mask in the trash, and wash your hands again. (5) Mask preservation: When non-disposable masks are not worn, fold them in a clean bag, fold the side that is close to the mouth and nose inward, and do not just stuff them into your clothes and pants pockets or hang them around your neck. If there is any damage or contamination, it should be replaced in time. If it is a disposable mask, it should be discarded after use. Both disposable medical surgical masks and N95 masks need to be replaced regularly and should not be worn for a long time. For some masks with cartridges also need to be replaced in time for the mask or the cartridge inside the mask, and pay attention to the use within the shelf life of the mask. Hand washing and hand hygiene are also important in preventing influenza. A study conducted by the University of Michigan found that wearing a mask and washing hands reduced the spread of flu-like symptoms among students by 75 percent. Wearing a mask alone may not significantly reduce flu-like symptoms, suggesting that wearing a mask and washing hands should be done together.