The recent news of swine flu and the outbreaks near us and where we are traveling has brought up the discussion of wearing masks.

Are you going to wear a swine flu prevention mask at the airport and on the plane if you are traveling in the next two weeks?

At this point I would not BeachGirl, but if you decide to, have fun with it. Take a look at these: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/he...in-Mexico.html

Very creative!

That's a lot better than an undecorated one, but no, I won't (we are flying to Honolulu tomorrow). I started a thread, now quite lengthy, in the Lounge about changing travel plans due to swine flu - the subject of masks is covered there, too).

I thought I heard Sanjay Gupta or someone like that say that there's no evidence masks slow or prevent transmission of anything. Is that true?

I wouldn't even consider it unless this turns into a much more serious emergency that it is now. Not only is it uncomfortable to wear a surgical mask, but it's better to prevent transmission of a virus if YOU are sick than to preven you from picking something up.

Prevention is more about the hands rather than the nose.

But I think it's important for people to get a grip. This is the flu. It has not proven to be a superflu or anything like that. It's just the flu, albeit a new strain. No one---including the WHO---can tell us yet if it's really going to be deadly in the long run. And it could go either way.

Doug makes a good point. I always blamed illnesses on the recycled air in the plane but a travel writer I know who has done research said it's what we touch. The person who sat in your seat before you may have piled used tissue on the tray. You rest your hands on the tray and then eat something with your hands. She takes hand sanitizer with her, wipes everything down, etc.

No, what everyone else is saying. Interestingly enough, the makers of said masks have bulked up their production, in anticipation of increased demand.

Nope, if I thought there was a serious problem, I would simply not fly. I only travel for pleasure, not business, so there's no reason I HAVE to be on a plane.

The masks that are effective are the N95, not basic surgical masks. I won't wear one but if someone on the plane sitting next to me has a hacking away I will.

Here's an article with good tips.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/30...ref=newssearch

I've often heard that the air in a commercial jetliner is continuously recirculated so that germs from anyone with an ailment like a cold or flu are quickly spread throughout the cabin.

Apparently that's not the case, from what I heard on a radio program today, which is backed up by info on Boeing's website. Actually, the cabin air is constantly mixed with fresh air, and they have pretty sophisticated filtration systems, to the point where some say the air in a plane is much purer than most other contained places like office buildings or malls. Evidently nearly 100% of the cabin air is replaced during a pretty short cycle.

So maybe it's not as germy a place as was thought by Joe Biden and me.

My husband and I are flying from California to Georgia in a week. So far, we are not going to wear masks. I might take along some hand sanitizer and maybe some wipes. We have tickets to the Nascar race in South Carolina for Saturday night....I definitely do not want to be sick!

Leaving tomorrow morning for South Carolina. No mask for me.

I read online that the N1S1 is an airborne transmitted Flu. So if you cover your nose and mouth with a mask it can get into your body through your eyes. Plus surgical masks do not stop germs like you think.

With over 300 million people in the US and only about 50 people sick right now, there is not need to worry. Plus this is not a killer in the US. We have some of the best health care in the world.

And only one person has dies from it and it was a 2 year old that crossed the boarder from Mexico to Texas a few times this past week with her family to see people in Mexico.

Do not worry.