N95 respirators for H1N1 protection
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
The American Hospital Association in a Sept. 15 letter requests that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reconsider its recommendations that health care workers caring for H1N1 influenza victims wear fit-tested N95 respirators, "given the limited supply of N95 respirators." To date, the virus "has not changed to become more severe" than seasonal influenza, AHA says. CDC issued the call for fit-tested N95 respirators earlier this month as a precaution, because it is still unknown if the H1N1 virus spreads through personal contact, droplet spray or airborne transmission ("1The Gray Sheet" Sept. 14, 2009)