# 8569
Singapore (pop. 5.5 million) – which was heavily impacted by the SARS outbreak in 2003 (and to a far lesser extent, by Malaysia’s Nipah outbreak of 1999) – has understandably adopted a proactive stance when it comes to public health. Long considered The Crossroads of the Orient, Singapore is truly an international city, and therefore vulnerable to many imported disease threats.
Consequently Singapore has been very active in making pandemic preparations (see In The Wake Of SARS, Singapore Prepares), and in 2010 ordered 1 million doses of H5N1 vaccine for their national stockpile.
Last summer, when the threat of imported MERS from Umrah and Hajj travelers began to ramp up, we saw Singapore’s MOH Put Quarantine Chalets On Standby, and when infectious diseases threaten, Singapore’s airports are often quick to break out thermal scanners (see Travel-Associated H1N1 Influenza in Singapore).
The health threats to Singapore’s citizenry also extends to environmental hazards, as last summer record-setting smoke & haze from fires burning in Sumatra and Borneo sent air pollution levels into the hazardous range, prompting a run on N95 masks and shortages.
These combined threats – infectious disease and air pollution – have prompted Temasek Cares, the philanthropic unit of Temasek Holdings, to hand out 1.2 million N95 `starter packs’ – one to every household in the city. While not a full supply, it is hoped that this will inspire citizens to become better prepared for any eventuality.
This report from News Channel Asia.
All households to receive free N95 masks from this week
SINGAPORE: All households in Singapore will receive free N95 masks in their mailboxes from May 6-12.
The masks will be distributed under a community programme by Temasek Cares, the philanthropic unit of Temasek Holdings, together with Singapore Power and SingPost.
It is hoped that some 1.2 million "Stay Prepared" starter kits -- each containing three 3M masks and useful numbers to call in case of an emergency -- will come in useful in the event of a flu pandemic or severe haze.
"We hope the kits will prompt individuals and families to develop their own emergency plans," said Temasek Cares chairman Richard Magnus.
In March of this year, it was also announced that the government had 16 million N95 masks stockpiled in Singapore: report, primarily in response to last year’s severe air pollution event.
While we aren’t currently facing a pandemic threat, I certainly advocate that everyone’s emergency kit contain at least a few N95 respirators (or a box of surgical facemasks). If you are caring for a family member at home – whether they have seasonal flu, or something more exotic – wearing PPEs can help reduce transmission within the household.
The problem with waiting for an emergency – like an epidemic– to be declared is that once that happens, supplies of masks and other PPEs will become scarce almost immediately.
Our Strategic National Stockpile contains more than 100 million N95 and surgical masks (see Caught With Our Masks Down), but at one time the HHS estimated the nation would need 30 billion masks (27 billion surgical, 5 Billion N95) to deal with a major pandemic (see Time Magazine A New Pandemic Fear: A Shortage of Surgical Masks).
Like any other prep (water, food, first aid kit), they are only truly effective if you think of them, and prepare them, before the need arises.
Last July, in The Great Mask Debate Revisited I wrote about the pros and cons regarding facemasks, and the various studies comparing the protective qualities of surgical masks vs. N95 masks.
Neither type should be regarded as perfect protection against infection, and with regards to the more expensive N95s, it takes more than just having a box in your closet (see Survival Of The Fit-tested) to protect you.
The bottom line, is that you hope to avail yourself of the (admittedly, limited) protection afforded by facemasks during an emergency, your best bet is to buy any supplies well before you need them.
