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Effective protection against avian flu
The risk of a global influenza pandemic is higher today than it has been for a very long time, and experts are urging people to take protective measures.

Experts at the World Health Organization WHO warn that avian influenza, or bird flu, which has been raging for several months now in Asia, could grow at any time into a global pandemic. If the virus were to undergo a slight mutation, the disease could become transmissible from person to person. This would result in a new "super flu" which would spread violently across the world, costing many people their lives. According to estimates of the WHO, more than a billion people worldwide could be expected to contract the disease. In this event, the population – including in particular those groups of people responsible for maintaining our infrastructure – would need to be quickly provided with suitable medicine and protective masks. Once the new virus was identified, however, it would take months to develop and produce an effective vaccine. The protective masks best suited to dealing with this situation are those rated protection class FFP2 to EN 149:2001 (or "N 95" in accordance with 42 CFR 84), as they filter out even the tiniest particles and liquid droplets. This is essential, as bacteria and viruses can be just a few micrometres in size.

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