Swine Flu, Again

This article highlighting the ineffectiveness of surgical masks at times like these—with all the ‘swine flu’ going on in the news—is a little freaky and not at all reassuring:

But do surgical masks offer effective protection against viruses? In 2003, Jon Cohen wrote that the SARS virus, which is just 100 nanometers in size, can easily pass through such barriers. And there's every reason to believe that swine flu, at 80 to 120 nanometers, can, too.

While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that people who have SARS wear these masks, they do not even recommend them for people in contact with those patients unless the infected person can't wear one. Wearing surgical masks outdoors, where virus-laden particles easily disperse, has even less value.

Then there’s this, ‘Why travel bans won’t prevent a flu pandemic’:

Swine flu has now been confirmed in Mexico, the US, Canada, Spain, Britain, Germany, Israel and New Zealand.

…though so far (another article), only one death has been confirmed outside Mexico, while a total of 159 (out of 2000 cases) in Mexico.

A Draconian 10-fold reduction in airline travel would delay a pandemic by only a few weeks and have no effect on its overall health impact, Vespignani's team concluded. Other measures – particularly widespread administration of antiviral drugs – proved far more effective at limiting the spread of hypothetical pandemics.