Gauze bandages - benefit or harm? Does it protect against influenza and other infections? Do-it-yourself cotton-gauze bandage: recommendations for use How to make a gauze bandage.

Medical mask: properties and methods of use.

With the onset of wet weather there is high probability distribution viral diseases. An elementary way of protection is a medical mask. Is this product really effective? This article will answer this and other questions regarding the use of a protective mask.

What is a medical mask for? Does it protect against infection?

The best way protection against the spread of infection

A protective mask is worn to prevent the spread of viral diseases by people infected with them.

Most often these include:

1. Working staff in medical institutions when communicating with a large number patients
2. Workers food production in the production of mass-produced food products
3. As well as other categories of infected people who do not want to contribute to the further spread of the infection

• There is a misconception that it is necessary for infected and healthy people to use a mask. According to doctors, this is not so.
• A protective bandage cannot 100% prevent the entry of infected air. This is explained by the fact that when worn, the degree of adherence to the skin is not significant, that is, the mask is unable to prevent a healthy person from becoming infected in a building with infected air.
• In this connection, it is necessary to use the protective measures in question directly to patients. This minimizes the possibility of spreading viruses through breathing, coughing and sneezing.
• Since a favorable atmosphere (warm and humid) is formed inside the protective item, conducive to the proliferation of microorganisms, when they come under the protective item they actively grow - using a mask in the absence of infection increases the possibility of disease.

How to wear a medical mask correctly, which side should you put on your face?

Masks have several different purposes and are divided into:

1. Dentists
2. Surgeons
3. Carrying out procedures
4. Public use

• For medical use, a nasal retainer is added to the product. In this case, there is no alternative to putting on a mask - definitely with the inside facing towards the face.
• In other options offered by the manufacturer, the following points should be taken into account:

1. If there is water-repellent impregnation, place the product with the unimpregnated dark layer inside
2. Subject to availability different colors- place the color layer outward
3. Ear loops and ties are sewn on the outside
4. If there are any specific features, the manufacturer usually indicates in the attached instructions. Pay attention to this.

Use the example shown in the photo for the correct placement of the protective device.

Correct fixation

How long can you wear a medical protective mask, how often should you change it: rules for using a medical mask

Follow the basic rules

The quality of the cleansing abilities of a disposable mask is affected by:

1. Its throughput properties
2. Filtration efficiency
3. Humidity and purity of atmospheric air
4. Continuous duration of mask use
5. Physical activity of the patient at the time of its application

The combination of these characteristics allows manufacturers to set the following temporary requirements:

• If you have a paper filter – 2 hours
• Processed with bactericidal agent– 3-5 hours
• If the product is wet due to coughing, sneezing or breathing, remove it immediately

Can medical masks be washed?

Types of protective devices

1. There are no sterilization methods to restore the original protective quality of a mask intended for single use. After use, it is immediately thrown away.
2. For reusable gauze masks, wash in hot water With soap solution. After drying, iron on both sides using the hottest heat possible.

Don't ignore using a mask. Proper use of the product helps minimize the spread of viral diseases.

Gauze bandage on the face - the simplest and most affordable individual remedy respiratory tract protection. Unlike pharmaceutical disposable masks made of polymer fibers, gauze bandages are reusable, so their use is more cost-effective. In addition, such a means of protection can be easily made independently at home.

What does a gauze bandage protect against?

The main purpose of a gauze bandage is to protect the respiratory system from pathogenic viruses and bacteria spreading by airborne droplets together with particles of saliva of a sick person when talking, coughing, . In this way, you can prevent infection while staying in a potentially dangerous places – public transport, clinic, supermarket, etc. Also, using a gauze bandage, patients respiratory diseases can protect people around you from contracting the infection.

Gauze dressings protect not only from infectious agents, but can also be used in the absence of a respirator or gas mask to protect against:

• carbon monoxide, smog, dust (pre-moisten with water);
• chlorine vapor (pre-moisten in a two percent solution baking soda);
• ammonia vapor (pre-moisten in a five percent solution of acetic acid).

How to make a gauze bandage?

Before making a gauze bandage, you need to learn how to choose high-quality starting material. The gauze must be of sufficient density to ensure necessary protection respiratory tract, let air through and allow the skin to breathe. Namely, this figure should be 36 g/m°. If the packaging does not indicate what the density of the gauze is, you can weigh it: a piece measuring 0.9 x 5 m should weigh 162 g. To increase the effectiveness of the gauze dressing, it is also advisable to use cotton wool in its manufacture. High-quality cotton wool should not generate dust when torn off, have lumps, or be bleached with chlorine.

There are several ways to make a gauze bandage. Let's consider the stages of one of the standard options:

1. Take a piece of gauze measuring 60x90 cm.
2. In the central part of the gauze cut, place an even layer of cotton wool measuring 14x14 cm and approximately 2 cm thick, or a piece of gauze of the same diameter, folded in 5 - 6 layers.
3. Fold the upper and lower edges of the gauze piece so that you get a ribbon 90 cm long and 14 - 15 cm wide.
4. Cut each side fragment of the resulting tape in half lengthwise down to cotton wool (folded gauze), thus obtaining two pairs of ties - for the parietal part and the occipital part. The edges of the bandage can be hemmed.

Rules for wearing a gauze bandage

It’s already the end of winter, but snow drifts are giving way to ice and gusty, sharp winds. This means that colds are still actual problem number one. That is why today I would like to talk about health, about how to be active and healthy without unnecessary expenses, going to the doctor and taking medications.

We advise you to remember the proven method of protection - gauze bandages. In addition, the Head of Rospotrebnadzor himself and concurrently the chief state sanitary doctor of the Russian Federation Gennady Onishchenko recommends to Russians , especially to residents of Moscow and other major cities, wear gauze bandages to prevent influenza. According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Gennady Onishchenko considers gauze bandages not only effective means protection against diseases, but also a way to increase the attractiveness of women! And wearing masks may well become a culture, like going to the theater.

Why a gauze bandage?

Real gauze bandage, provided correct use, serves as the simplest and most reliable protective barrier against bacteria and viruses.

• . If you are healthyand put on a gauze bandage- it will protect you from influenza viruses that can infect you with other people.
• . If you are sickand put on a gauze bandage- it will not allow you to infect or expose others to the risk of influenza infection.

Remember, viruses spread with tiny droplets of saliva and air particles at a distance of up to 7 meters! Thus, by simply putting a gauze bandage or mask on your face, you can protect yourself and your loved ones from colds and flu!

How to choose the right gauze bandage?

How to recognize quality mask or a gauze bandage? First of all, you should pay attention to number of layers of gauze indicated on the packaging: the more there are, the higher the degree of protection and vice versa. The optimal number of layers is 4-6, and better - 7-8.

The material from which the headband or mask is made is also of great importance. A cheap mask made of synthetic material not only does not protect, but can also cause allergies and difficulty breathing!

Most best material for dressing - medical cotton gauze. Cotton is a natural material that is highly breathable, allowing the skin to breathe and not sweat.

Multilayer gauze bandage made from natural material has one more distinctive feature - reusable. It is enough to iron the gauze bandage with a hot iron, after a light wash with laundry soap and the mask will completely restore its protective properties.

You should wear a gauze bandage not only in confined spaces or transport, but also in any crowded places where there is a chance of contracting an infection.

A gauze bandage can traditionally be buy in pharmacies. The most suitable gauze bandages and masks, which can be easily found in pharmacies, are:

. medical masks "Facesafe"- 6-layer cotton of 2 types (with elastic bands and ties) for repeated use.

Instructions

Not a single gauze bandage, even one made in the best possible way and fully complies with the basic aesthetic criteria and the highest standards of quality, hygiene and will not be able to properly protect you from, if it is worn. If you wear a mask incorrectly, you will not be able to prevent a painful infection from entering your body.

The cotton-gauze bandage should be worn in such a way that it covers the nose on top and the chin below. Moreover, the mask should fit as tightly as possible to the face and without leaving between the gauze and cracks and gaps through which they can penetrate into the body. dangerous bacteria. You should also not tighten the gauze bandage too tightly, otherwise you will get very sick or dizzy, or there will be completely unattractive marks on your face.

As for the location, the gauze bandage should be worn with the edge with the wire (wire in in this case called a ribbon for tying a mask) upward, pressing it closer to the nose. If the bandage has two pairs of ribbons for tying (both top and bottom), then the mask can be placed on the face on any side, both top and bottom. To ensure that such a ribbon stays firmly on the head and does not fall off when walking, the upper ribbons should be tied at the top, slightly above the crown of the head, and the lower ones – at the bottom, on the back of the head, passing them under the ears.

Often, dressings sold at pharmacies have different colored sides. For example, one is white, and the other is blue or greenish. Which side of the mask will be worn inward, that is, towards you, is not important. As a rule, the sides are made in different colors only to avoid confusion when removing the gauze bandage and putting it on again.

Any medical cotton-gauze dressing must be changed every 2-4 hours. If you still cough and sneeze into it, then even more often - almost every hour. The used mask should either be disposed of (if the dressing is a classic disposable one) or washed and dried.

IN live site visited by doctor of medical sciences, pediatrician highest category, professor of neonatology course at MONIKI named after. M.F. Vladimirsky, leading researcher at the Department of Premature Children of the Scientific Center for Children of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Andrey Stepanov.

“AiF”: - Do you think it’s time to carry out large-scale work, with the involvement of television, to explain actions during the flu period?

A.S.- Sanitary education work is the basis of medicine. Radio and TV should explain how to use which product, how to prevent this or that condition.

Who should wear a gauze mask?

“AiF”: - Does it make sense to wear protective gauze masks on your face during an epidemic?

A.S.- As for masks, there is a lot of controversy on this topic. A sick person should wear a mask. A healthy person should not come into contact with him. It is advisable to wear a mask for 40 minutes, after which it becomes saturated with secretions and ceases to be a protective mechanism. If you are willing to change your mask every 40 minutes, then wearing it makes sense. The most best prevention– have as little contact as possible with a large number of people.

“AiF”: - What remedies are best to use for a runny nose? After all, basically all drugs are vasoconstrictors.

A.S.- I would not say that basically all drugs are vasoconstrictors. It all depends on what kind of runny nose you have. If this initial stage viral infection, then, of course, you can get by with immunomodulatory agents or basic sea ​​water. The point is to wash away products from the nasal mucosa aggressive behavior virus in order to moisturize the mucous membrane, so that the main lymphoid organs in the nasopharynx are washed, and the child feels better and can breathe through his nose. It happens when swelling of the nasal passages is pronounced, in which case vasoconstrictor drugs are used.

Eat antibacterial agents, which are used when a viral infection occurs with complications or when a child has a chronic infectious form - in such situations, antibacterial drops are used. In this case, this should be decided by the doctor. Moreover, children with allergies need to beware of drops that include herbs. Nowadays, herbal medicine has become a fashionable trend in cosmetology and medicine.

All herbs are used to prepare certain potions. But it should be remembered that the use of herbal medicine has certain medical aspects that cannot be discounted. Drops should be prescribed by a doctor if it is not just cosmetic rinsing of the nasal passages.

“AiF”: - Why does it happen that everyone around gets sick and gets infected from each other, but someone manages to “escape” from the disease without any visible effort?

A.S.- God bless those who are spared the flu. But let me remind you that any infectious process is a product of interaction between microorganisms (viruses, bacteria) and macroorganisms (humans). At any level (cellular, organ) there are certain defense mechanisms. If a person is harmonious, then he will not get sick from a viral infection; if a breakdown occurs, then, depending on the degree of disturbance, the illness will be more or less severe. I believe that if your immune system can resist, continue in the same spirit.

Immunity

"AiF": - How to strengthen immune system during a flu epidemic?

A.S.- The immune system is a thing that is studied, but not understood. You can strengthen the immune system so as not to harm the entire body by using healthy image life, hardening procedures throughout the year, which consist of contrasts, in this way we try to accustom our vascular system respond adequately to changing environment. If, after a warm shower or bath, you pour cooler water over time, lowering the temperature over time, then this will be a good hardening mechanism that will resist viral infections. Gargling and nasal rinsing are also preventive methods.

"AiF": - Many in winter period start drinking various immune-strengthening drugs. Do they make sense or not? Do they somehow protect against influenza and ARVI?

A.S.- In studies conducted abroad, only a few drugs were found effective in relation to immunomodulation. In a child early age immunity has not yet been formed or may have breakdowns at certain levels, especially in children with allergic predispositions. When we give drugs, we don’t know what the outcome might be. The immunity of such a child can be likened to a person who moves forward, overcoming difficulties. If we start pushing him forward, then either he will at some point will go faster and will soon fall or fall immediately. Immunomodulatory drugs should be taken strictly as directed by your doctor. It’s better to use hardening procedures - it’s much more useful.