Surgical masks do not provide sufficient protection against airborne transmitted respiratory infections, states a group of international experts who call for a change in the guidelines regarding the protective equipment used by medical staff, reports IPN.

In a letter addressed to the World Health Organization (WHO), the authors argue that there is no rational justification for the use of surgical masks in the medical system, considering the limited protection they offer, writes The Guardian.

Professor Adam Finkel, from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, one of the initiators of the approach, explains that surgical masks were designed to prevent contamination of the surgical field, not to stop the transmission of airborne pathogens.

Experts recommend that medical staff use high filtration masks when in contact with patients, such as those that meet FFP2 or FFP3 standards in Europe or N95 in the United States. The signatories of the initiative argue that such a regulation would significantly reduce the number of infection cases, both among patients and medical staff.

However, Professor Adam Finkel says that surgical masks are “better than nothing”. Studies suggest that they block about 40% of virus-sized particles that cause COVID, compared to 80% and more in the case of respiratory masks.