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Mike Mitka

JAMA. 2007;297:2338.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued interim guidelines advocating the use of face masks and respirators by individuals during an influenza pandemic, even though the value of such protection has yet to be confirmed through rigorous research.

At a May 3 press conference, Julie Gerberding, MD, CDC director, said given that a pandemic influenza outbreak could happen at any time, the agency did not want to wait months or years for study results to provide scientific validation of face mask and respirator use.

"[We] decided that right now the best thing for us to do would be to use some common sense and gather the best experts that we could to create some practical advice for people who are preparing for a pandemic," Gerberding said.

The interim guidelines (available online at http://pandemicflu.gov/plan/community/commaskguidance.pdf) are intended for the general public. They stress that while . . . [Full Text of this Article]