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Students wear masks to try to stop flu

Hundreds of students on the University of Michigan campus are part of a research study that could change the way the world looks at influenza. Researchers are trying to determine whether wearing surgical masks and hand sanitising can prevent the spread of flu or other respiratory illnesses.

There’s only one public place in his residence hall where Ken Miguel doesn’t wear a surgical mask — the cafeteria. But every day, Miguel, 18, wears the mask while he studies, does laundry and sprints to class. It’s gets a little uncomfortable, but it’s for a good cause, he says.

Flu hit the university late last month and students in the study have since been divided into three groups: those who only wear masks; those who wear masks and use hand sanitiser; and those who do neither.

They’ll fill out surveys every week, answering questions about their physical health and how often they wear the mask, which is optional outside the residence halls. The students will wear the masks until the flu outbreak has died down, but no longer than six weeks, the researchers said. Funded by the US. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the research is the first of its kind, said Dr Allison Aiello, a Michigan epidemiology professor who designed the study with principal investigator Dr. Arnold Monto.

US health officials have made no recommendation about wearing face masks. The government is stockpiling a vaccine officials hope would be effective against a pandemic flu strain but there isn’t enough. Cotton masks and hand sanitizer could be a first line of defense.

Schaffner says the study has important ‘real life’ circumstances at its base. College dormitories, where students eat, sleep and study together, are the perfect breeding ground for airborne illnesses, he said. In Alice Lloyd Hall, one of the dorms chosen for the study, masked students can be seen behind the front desk, hurrying down hallways and studying. About 1,200 students on campus were signed up as of last Wednesday, and more are recruited every day. ap

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