Facemask use in community settings to prevent respiratory infection transmission: a rapid review and meta-analysis
Fecha
2020Autor
Chaabna, Karima
Doraiswamy, Sathyanarayanan
Mamtani, Ravinder
Cheema, Sohaila
Resumen
Introduction
Synthesis of the available evidence on the effectiveness of medical and cloth facemask use by the general
public in community settings is required to learn lessons for future respiratory epidemics/pandemics. Method
We utilized search terms relating to facemasks, infection, and community settings on PubMed, the
Cochrane Library Database, and Google Scholar. A meta-analysis was conducted utilizing a randomeffects model.
Results
The review included 12 primary studies on the effectiveness of medical facemask use to prevent
influenza, influenza-like illness, SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Our meta-analysis
demonstrates that facemask use significantly reduces the risk of transmitting these respiratory infections
(pooled OR=0.66, 95% confidence interval: 0.54-0.81). Of the 12 studies, ten clinical trials suggest that
respiratory infection incidence is lower with high medical facemask compliance, early use, and use in
combination with intensive hand hygiene. One cohort study conducted during the SARS-CoV-2
pandemic, demonstrated facemasks are effective in reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission when used
before those infected develop symptoms. One case-control study reported that controls used medical
facemasks more often than cases infected with SARS-CoV (p-value<0.05). No primary study on cloth
facemask effectiveness to prevent respiratory infection transmission was found.
Conclusion
Based on the available evidence, we recommend medical facemask use by healthy and sick individuals
for preventing respiratory infection transmission in community settings. Medical facemask effectiveness
is dependent on compliance and utilization in combination with preventive measures such as intensive
hand hygiene. Currently, no direct evidence is available in humans supporting the recommendation of
cloth facemask use to prevent respiratory infection transmission
Palabras clave
Facemask; Community setting; HouseholdEnlace al recurso
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.09.1434Colecciones
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