TOKYO // As South Korea scrambles to control an outbreak of the killer Mers virus, its fearful citizens have donned surgical masks en masse, but the jury is out on whether they actually protect against the invisible enemy in the air.
Across Asia, masks have long lost their stigma to become an everyday sight in the street or on the subway. Some experts believe they do little more than provide psychological reassurance against diseases such as Mers in South Korea.
The virus has sparked a rush of orders at small Japanese mask-maker Clever, pushing up orders for 100,000 masks - 10 times more than the same time last year.
The practice of mask-wearing is widespread in East Asia, even in relatively normal times.
In Japan it is common to see small children and pregnant women in a white surgical mask as they go about their daily life – on trains, in offices and in the street.
Masks are used in China as a way of protecting the wearer from the sometimes-choking pollution of the big cities, while South Koreans wear them for sanitation, to protect against the cold, or to prevent people from inhaling pollutants.
However, scientists say wearing a mask every day does not provide the level of protection many people seem to think.
“Wearing a mask is not perfect to prevent a wearer from picking up a virus,” said Mitsuo Kaku, professor of infectious disease at Tohoku University.
“It can be said, though, that wearing a mask and washing your hands could reduce the spread of micro-organisms,” he said.
Norio Ohmagari, director of Japan’s disease control and prevention centre, said improper use of masks further lessens their efficacy.
“In principle, masks should be used only once,” he said, adding a wearer must wash their hands after disposing of the used mask.
In fastidious, polite Japan, where masks have been in use since at least the early part of the 20th century, covering your face is often a matter of etiquette when you have a cold or the flu.
But not all of the people wearing a mask are ill. For some of them, it’s a kind of disguise.
Not uncommon is the sight of a young man slumped on a train seat wearing a mask, a baseball cap, sunglasses and a pair of earphones – the perfect defence against any messy interaction with strangers.
Masks also offer an easier option for anyone who may be running late.
“It’s good to cover your face when you don’t put makeup on,” says fashion model Zawachin, who sells her own range of designer masks, including a raspberry-flavoured one.Masks for these non-medical purposes are described collectively as “date masuku”, which literally means “masks just for show”.
* Agence France-Presse
