What level of protection do your masks offer?
All our products match or exceed World Health Organisation and Centre for Disease Control recommendations for NIOSH certified N95 respirators.
The World Health Organisation is recommending NIOSH certified N95 respirators. The UK equivalent of this is FFP2.
The UK's Health And Safety Executive are recommending the use of an FFP3 approved mask, this is only intended for staff who are operating in very close quarters to patients and who are performing aerosol generating procedures.
The World health Organisation guidelines can be viewed here (PDF)
The HPA guidelines can be viewed here (PDF)
The closest European equivalent to NIOSH N95 protection is FFP2 or higher
How should we judge when to replace the respirator (after using for how much time)?
Respirators should be disposed when they become dirty, damaged or soiled. Local infection control may add other requirements. A respirator used in close contact with a known or suspected patient should be disposed immediately after use. Respirators should be removed only when the wearer is in an area free of airborne hazards.
How many hours a day or how many days can a ( P2, P3 respectively) respirator be used?
Respirators can be worn 8-10 hours unless the user feels some breathing resistance. It is not recommended to use it several times for hygienic reasons (storage when not worn). The recommendation would be to replace it at least every day.
Does everyone really have to wear a respirator now? (for example, doctor in hospital, bus driver, citizen in public places)
There is no particular need to wear a respirator except in case of suspected or known contaminated patient, in particular in hospital.
Is there a smaller size of respirator for children?
We are currently having a limited supply of valved FFP3 masks designed for children 3 - 10+ pre order now.
Should eye protection be worn?
Safety goggles should be worn to protect the mucous membranes of the eyes.
Should gloves be worn?
Yes, you can be infected by touching a surface like a work surface or door handle that has been contaminated by touch from someone who is infected. The flu virus can enter your body through your nose, mouth and eyes.
Signs and symptoms
Bird flu viruses are complex, with a number of subtypes and strains that vary considerably from one another. In the broadest terms, however, the viruses are classified as having a low or high chance of causing disease (low or high pathogenicity).
Among birds, the effects of low pathogenic viruses are usually minor — ruffled feathers or reduced egg production. But highly pathogenic forms cause severe disease, including respiratory distress, and almost 100 percent mortality in susceptible species. In some cases, domestic birds may die the same day symptoms appear.
Scientists don't yet know just how these subtypes affect humans, but highly pathogenic viruses appear to cause the most serious problems — and the greatest number of deaths — in both people and animals.
Although the exact incubation period for bird flu in humans isn't clear, illness seems to develop within one to five days of exposure to the virus. Sometimes the only indication of the disease is a relatively mild eye infection (conjunctivitis). But more often, signs and symptoms of bird flu resemble those of conventional influenza, including:
Cough
Fever
Sore throat
Muscle aches
People with the most virulent type of bird flu virus — (A) H5N1 — may develop life-threatening complications, particularly viral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress, the most common cause of bird flu-related deaths.
What else can I do?
You can reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading influenza during a pandemic by:
Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible;
Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully – bag and bin them;
Avoiding non-essential travel and large crowds whenever possible;
Maintaining good basic hygiene, for example washing your hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to your face, or to other people;
Cleaning hard surfaces (e.g. kitchen work tops, door handles) frequently, using a normal cleaning product;
Making sure your children follow this advice.
If you do catch flu:
Stay at home and rest;
Take medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen or paracetemol to relieve the symptoms (following the instructions with the medicines). Please note: Children under 16 must not be given aspirin or ready made flu remedies containing aspirin;
drink plenty of fluids.
These measures are for your own health and to avoid spreading the illness to others.
Wash your hands!
One of the simplest ways to prevent infections of all kinds, hand washing is also one of the best. When you're traveling, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, which don't require the use of water, are an excellent choice. They're actually more effective than hand washing in killing bacteria and viruses that cause disease. Commercially prepared hand sanitizers contain ingredients that help prevent skin dryness. In fact, use of these products can result in less skin dryness and irritation than hand washing.
Put on and remove PPE (Personal protective equipment) in the correct order
The following is a summary of the recommended order of removal of protective equipment:
1. Remove gloves
2. Remove gown/overalls
3. Wash/decontaminate hands
4. Remove eye protection
5. Remove mask/respirator
6. Wash/decontaminate hands again
Dispose of all PPE safely- Either incinerate or bag up and put in an outside bin. Remember to wash/decontaminate hands again.
But it can't yet be passed from person to person?
For the most part, humans have contracted the virus following very close contact with sick birds.
There may have been examples of human-to-human transmission, but so far not in the form which could fuel a pandemic. A case in Thailand indicated the probable transmission of the virus from a girl who had the disease to her mother, who also died. The girl's aunt, who was also infected, survived the virus.
UK virology expert Professor John Oxford said these cases indicated the basic virus could be passed between humans, and predicted similar small clusters of cases would be seen again. It is not the only instance where it has been thought bird flu has been passed between humans. In 2004, two sisters died in Vietnam after possibly contracting bird flu from their brother who had died from an unidentified respiratory illness. In a similar case in Hong Kong in 1997, a doctor possibly caught the disease from a patient with the H5N1 virus - but it was never conclusively proved.
Are there any other causes for concern?
Yes. Several.
• Domestic ducks can now excrete large quantities of highly pathogenic virus without showing signs of illness, and are now acting as a “silent” reservoir of the virus, perpetuating transmission to other birds. This adds yet another layer of complexity to control efforts and removes the warning signal for humans to avoid risky behaviours.
• When compared with H5N1 viruses from 1997 and early 2004, H5N1 viruses now circulating are more lethal to experimentally infected mice and to ferrets (a mammalian model) and survive longer in the environment.
• H5N1 appears to have expanded its host range, infecting and killing mammalian species previously considered resistant to infection with avian influenza viruses.
• The behaviour of the virus in its natural reservoir, wild waterfowl, may be changing. The spring 2005 die-off of upwards of 6,000 migratory birds at a nature reserve in central China, caused by highly pathogenic H5N1, was highly unusual and probably unprecedented. In the past, only two large die-offs in migratory birds, caused by highly pathogenic viruses, are known to have occurred: in South Africa in 1961 (H5N3) and in Hong Kong in the winter of 2002–2003 (H5N1).
What is the status of vaccine development and production?
Vaccines effective against a pandemic virus are not yet available. Vaccines are produced each year for seasonal influenza but will not protect against pandemic influenza. Although a vaccine against the H5N1 virus is under development in several countries, no vaccine is ready for commercial production and no vaccines are expected to be widely available until several months after the start of a pandemic.
Some clinical trials are now under way to test whether experimental vaccines will be fully protective and to determine whether different formulations can economize on the amount of antigen required, thus boosting production capacity. Because the vaccine needs to closely match the pandemic virus, large-scale commercial production will not start until the new virus has emerged and a pandemic has been declared. Current global production capacity falls far short of the demand expected during a pandemic.
NHS Biosuit
For the ultimate in bio protection we offer the NHS Suit which is primarily intended for professional health care workers, this operate with positive pressure, disposable suit with re useable air supply.
The suit is a single use disposable and is available in a range of sizes and comprises:
One piece boiler suit c/w elasticated wrists and ankles.
Full Face Hood with Anti splash visor.
Powered Respirator c/w coverall .
3 x ABEK P3 filters.
The suit is CE marked for the following:
Type 4: Spray tight garments.
Type 5: Particle tight garments.
Type 6: Limited splash resistance to penetration by chemicals
Outbreaks of avian influenza (A/H5N1) in animals and man reported from Asia since December 2003
© European Communities, 1995-2005
What advice should be given to consumers who are fearful of chemical or
biological weapons attacks and want to purchase gas masks?
For consumers considering the purchase of a traditional full-facepiece gas mask,there is some very important information they should know because the use of traditional gas masks by the general public is very complex.
Training in the proper use and application of gas masks is what’s most important.For instance, people need to consider:
- Is there sufficient oxygen in the contaminated area?
- What is the health and age of the individual using the mask? Due to the high breathing resistance inherent when using a mask, it is difficult for some individuals to handle or overcome.
- What specific hazard or types of hazards are present?
These threats can include:
- Chemicals. If chemicals exist, there must be an assessment of which ones and in what concentration.
- Topical or skin exposure hazards.
- Biological hazards. Radioactive material hazards
- The presence of carbon monoxide or smoke.
These types of threats can only be properly assessed through air monitoring and detection conducted by trained professionals. Civilians generally will need to rely on the local emergency contacts to inform them of the hazards they may face, so that they may properly prepare and/or respond. In addition to the above, for a traditional full-facepiece gas mask to be effective, wearers must be properly fitted because without an airtight seal around the face, contaminants can leak into the mask. For example, facial hair can interfere with proper sealing. For nearly all industries, specific written standards for conducting fit testing exist and these must be adhered to. If they do not, wearers run the risk of using a mask that may be ineffective.
What do gas masks protect against?
All our gas masks and filters are designed to protect against Chemical Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) agents including:
o Anthrax and Smallpox
o Dust, Riot control gas
o Organic gases and vapours
o Inorganic gases (Chlorine, Hydrogen sulphide)
o Acid gases and vapours (Sulphur dioxide, ammonia)
o Nuclear contaminated dust
Will gas masks protect against all chemical or biological threats?
All gas masks are only effective when they are designed to protect against the concentration and type of contaminant in question,, the mask is fitted, cared for and used properly, and the mask is used in areas containing sufficient oxygen. Its important to know that there is no universal type of filter that is effective against all airborne threats. Wearing a gas mask does not guarantee survival in a chemical or biological attack, but it can decrease the risk of injury or fatality, depending on a variety of factors.
What size gas mask do I need?
The medium size fits 95% of most male adults. Only females or males with very small faces need to consider ordering a small
What is the shelf life of a mask?
5 years. (For a mask that has not been exposed to contaminants.)
What if I have a beard?
No conventional gas masks are suitable for people with beards as the mask cannot form a seal to the face.
What if I wear glasses?
You cannot wear normal glasses as the glasses will not allow the mask to seal to the face. You can purchase our mask frames and get prescription lenses fitted to them. Contact sales@uksurvive.com for prices as these are not a stock item.
How do I fit my mask?
All our masks come with comprehensive instructions, although we recommend that you practise fitting you mask and conducting a fit test.
What is a fit test?
Perform this test each time the gas mask is used on to ensure a sufficient face to mask seal is achieved.
Bird Flu Fact Sheet -
