Surgical mask facts for kids

Surgical face mask

A surgical mask is a special type of mask worn over your mouth and nose. You might also hear it called a procedure mask, medical mask, or just a face mask. Doctors, nurses, and other health workers wear these masks, especially during surgery or when caring for patients.

These masks help to catch tiny bacteria and virus particles that come out of a person's mouth and nose when they talk, cough, or sneeze. These particles are often carried in small drops of liquid or as very tiny bits floating in the air. While surgical masks are great at stopping these particles from spreading *out* from the wearer, they are not designed to fully protect the wearer from breathing in tiny airborne bacteria or viruses. For better protection against breathing in germs, a different type of mask called a respirator is used.

Not all surgical masks are the same quality. Some are made for everyday medical use, while others are specifically designed for surgeries. For example, health officials in China have different rules for medical masks and surgical masks.

Surgical masks are made from a special material called a nonwoven fabric. This fabric is created using a process called melt blowing, which makes it very good at filtering tiny particles. These masks became popular in the 1960s and took the place of older cloth facemasks in many countries. During the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, there was a big shortage of surgical masks around the world.

Why Do People Wear Face Masks?

In many East Asian countries like China, Japan, and South Korea, people often wear surgical masks even when they are not sick. They do this all year round for a few reasons:

• To stop germs from spreading: If someone has a cold or flu, wearing a mask helps prevent them from spreading germs to others.
• To protect from air pollution: Masks can help filter out tiny dust particles and pollution in the air, especially in big cities.
• As a fashion statement: In some places, especially in Japanese and Korean pop culture, surgical masks have become a popular fashion accessory, especially among young people.

Images for kids

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  A student in Mexico wearing a surgical mask correctly. You can see the cords behind the ears and under the chin.

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  A medical professional wearing a surgical mask during an operation.

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  A face mask designed for children.

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  A bag of single-use medical masks.

See also

In Spanish: Máscara quirúrgica para niños