Community Use of Face Masks against the Spread of COVID-19

Luciano Bubbico, Giuseppe Mastrangelo, Francesca Larese-Filon, Paolo Basso, Roberto Rigoli, Martina Maurelli, Salvatore Ferlito, Marco Capelli, Claudio Gisabella, Mohammad Javanbakht, Saverio Bellizzi and Luca Cegolon
Additional contact information
Luciano Bubbico: Sensori-Neural Disabilities Research Unit, INAPP, 00198 Rome, Italy
Giuseppe Mastrangelo: Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences & Public Health, Padua University, 35122 Padua, Italy
Francesca Larese-Filon: Occupational Medicine Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
Paolo Basso: Occupational Medicine Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
Roberto Rigoli: Microbiology Unit, Ca’ Foncello Hospital, Local Health Unit N.2 ‘Marca Trevigiana”, 31100 Treviso, Italy
Martina Maurelli: Section of Dermatology and Venereology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy
Salvatore Ferlito: Department of Surgical Medical Sciences and Advanced Technologies, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95124 Catania, Italy
Marco Capelli: Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Department, CDI—Italian Diagnostic Centre, 20122 Milan, Italy
Claudio Gisabella: Public Health Department, Local Health Unit N.2 “Marca Trevigiana”, 31100 Treviso, Italy
Mohammad Javanbakht: Nephrology and Urology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1435916471, Iran
Saverio Bellizzi: Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, World Health Organization, 1200 Geneva, Switzerland
Luca Cegolon: Public Health Department, Local Health Unit N.2 “Marca Trevigiana”, 31100 Treviso, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: The role of face masks to prevent and control COVID-19 is critical, especially since asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic infected individuals can shed high loads of SARS-CoV-2 in the surrounding environment. In addition to being a two-way barrier to protect against virions droplets both in terms of “source control” (for the benefits of the community) and “physical protection” (for wearer), face masks also allow maintaining physiological temperatures and humidity of the nasal cavity and mouth, independently from the external environmental conditions. Beyond compromising the viral transmission speed, exposure to cold environments could have a detrimental effect on the host’s susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2. The innate human immune system becomes in fact weaker with cooler nose temperatures and thus more vulnerable to viral replication. Furthermore, there is evidence that warm, humid climates are associated with reduced spread of SARS-CoV-2, while cold dry conditions favor its stability and transmissibility. In the early stage of a viral infection, a physiological body temperature in the upper airways supports the innate immune system, endorsing the muco-ciliary clearance, inhibiting, or deactivating any first settlement of viruses. Face masks are therefore strongly recommended also outdoors, especially under cold weather conditions, not only as a physical barrier against the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, but also to prevent the rapid cooling of the nasal mucosa and the inhibition of the human innate defense of the upper airways.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; transmissibility; nasal cavity; health protection; face masks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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