Since November 5, 2020, there have been outbreaks of upper respiratory tract infections among kindergarten, primary and secondary school students. The Education Bureau also ordered the suspension of classes. Many parents may have questions, "Why are there still outbreaks of infection when children wear masks?" In addition to the relatively weak awareness of epidemic prevention among young children, it may be related to the popular color-printed masks.
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Parents usually buy some cartoon-printed or colorful masks for their children. These colorful cartoon masks are usually printed with food-grade inks, which are edible for human beings, but at the same time they are easy to breed bacteria. According to a 1973 American study*, it has been pointed out that dyes are closely related to bacterial growth. The temperature and humidity in the breath of the mask can easily cause a large number of bacteria to proliferate. The mask instantly becomes a hotbed of super bacteria, and it is easy to be infected by bacteria or viruses. Although the direct relationship between the two cannotbe confirmed for the time being, we cannot rule out the possibility. Therefore, parents may wish to consider more and pay attention to the manufacturing materials of masks when purchasing masks to minimize the risk of infection! ⁣
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*Effect of Dyes on Bacterial Growth, American Society for Microbiology, 1973⁣
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