CDC Drops N95 Requirement

CDC Drops N95 Requirement...and boy, do I feel good about it! 

N95 - Surgical Mask Just as Good

I've been arguing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requirement for N95's was not only expensive but, cumbersome, and difficult to ensure compliance. Pushing my  thoughts on the use of surgical masks over N95's has caused me significant headache...from the 2003 SARS epidemic to 2009 Swine Flu. I've written my opinion of surgical masks over N95 and stood by it for years.  See Bio-Event Ready or Die! 3 Thing to do, Today. originally published August, 2009 and On The Topic of N95s originally published May, 2009.
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But now, the CDC has issued opinion that surgical masks can be used in place of the N95.

I've been outspoken in classes; and now, it seems that the CDC agrees with me! The recent document from the CDC Interim Guidance for the Use of Masks to Control Influenza Transmission states the following:

About time they listened to me

"The use of surgical or procedure masks by infectious patients may help contain their respiratory secretions and limit exposure to others. Likewise, when a patient is not wearing a mask, as when in an isolation room, having health-care personnel mask for close contact with the patient may prevent nose and mouth contact with respiratory droplets. However, no studies have definitively shown that mask use by either infectious patients or health-care personnel prevents influenza transmission. In the United States, disposable surgical and procedure masks have been used widely in health-care settings to prevent exposure to respiratory infections, but they have not been used commonly in community settings (e.g., schools, businesses, public gatherings)."

 and further states -

"A surgical or procedure mask should be worn by health-care personnel who are in close contact (i.e., within 3 feet) with a patient who has symptoms of a respiratory infection, particularly if fever is present, as recommended for standard and droplet precautions. "