masks

Swine flu: replace full PPE with surgical masks

GPs have been urged to wear a surgical mask at minimum when swabbing swine flu suspects, despite acknowledgement that the disease is relatively mild. The RACGP said today it supported the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer’s approach in moving Australia to a newly created ‘protect’ pandemic phase. RACGP pandemic preparedness group spokesman Dr Ron McCoy said the college would modify its advice on wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), which had called for P2 (N95) masks, gowns, eye protection and gloves when swabbing. “If there was a higher case fatality rate we would be still thinking PPE, but ...