Surgery Strategic Clinical Network, Alberta Health Services, Canada; Division of Community Engagement, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Canada.
Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Industries Textiles (ENSAIT), GEMTEX Laboratory, 2 allée Louise et Victor Champier BP 30329, 59056 Roubaix, France; Université de Lille, Nord de France, F-59000 Lille, France.
Prev Med. 2020 Oct;139:106236. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106236. Epub 2020 Aug 11.
The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 is spreading very quickly around the world. In less than 7 months since it became known to the international community, the virus has infected 18 million in more than 180 countries and killing more than 700,000 people. Person-to-person transmission through infected respiratory droplets from patients with symptoms and asymptomatic carriers is the main mode of spread in the community. There is currently no standard agreed upon drug to treat the disease and the prospect of having a safe and efficacious vaccine might be years away. Thus, public health interventions such as social distancing and hand washing have been introduced and has, to some extent, slowed the progression of the pandemic. Universal masking as a public health intervention is currently mandatory in a vast majority of countries around the world. To avoid personal protective equipment (PPE) shortage crisis for medical staff and other frontline workers, health authorities are recommending the use cloth masks. Although in theory, cloth masks can be helpful to limit the spread of the COVID-19, serious consideration should be given to the choice of textile, the number of layers of cloth used, pre-treatment of the material with water repellent material and other compounds that can enhance the filtration efficiency of the masks without compromising their breathability. This review uses concepts of textile engineering and the theoretical principles of filtration to make suggestions and recommendations to improve the quality and safety of cloth masks for the general public.
由病毒 SARS-CoV-2 引起的 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行在全球迅速蔓延。自该病毒被国际社会所知以来，不到 7 个月的时间里，它已在 180 多个国家感染了 1800 多万人，造成 70 多万人死亡。有症状的患者和无症状携带者通过感染呼吸道飞沫进行人际传播是社区传播的主要方式。目前尚无治疗该病的标准药物，安全有效的疫苗可能还需要数年时间。因此，已采取了社会隔离和勤洗手等公共卫生干预措施，在一定程度上减缓了大流行的进程。作为一种公共卫生干预措施，全球绝大多数国家目前都强制要求全民佩戴口罩。为避免医护人员和其他一线工作人员个人防护设备（PPE）短缺危机，卫生当局建议使用布制口罩。尽管从理论上讲，布制口罩可以帮助限制 COVID-19 的传播，但应认真考虑选择纺织品、使用的布层数、用疏水剂和其他化合物对材料进行预处理，以提高口罩的过滤效率而不影响其透气性。本综述利用纺织工程的概念和过滤的理论原理，提出了一些建议和意见，以提高普通民众用布口罩的质量和安全性。
