Face Masks for Preventing Influenza Transmission (GRIPMASK)

• clinical events in all household members on the entire monitoring period (21 days). [ Time Frame: 21 days ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
• Adverse events related to wearing a mask - a safety issue. [ Time Frame: during the study ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
• Number of days of wearing a mask, number of masks used. [ Time Frame: during the study ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
• Drug-consumption, in particular antibiotics [ Time Frame: during the study ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
• Sick-leave from work (for adults contacts), or from school (for children of school age). [ Time Frame: during the study ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
• Quality of life in the index patient. [ Time Frame: during the study ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
• Infection with influenza virus at different time, among all household members. [ Time Frame: during the study ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
• Quantification of viral load in patients infected. [ Time Frame: during the study ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
• Characterization of viruses isolated (sub-type and sequence of the portion of HA1 gene for haemagglutinin). [ Time Frame: during the study ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]

This work aims to measure the effectiveness of face mask worn by a patient with flu to avoid transmission to other persons in the household.

Background. Non pharmaceutical interventions, and in particular the wearing of face masks, could play a role in controlling the transmission of influenza in the early stages of the epidemic. In the French pandemic plan, surgical masks are recommended in contagious patients in wards. The effectiveness of such masks in preventing transmission of influenza A virus is unknown. Our project aims to assess the preventive efficacy and tolerance of surgical mask.

The primary objective is to measure the decrease of the number of secondary cases of flu in households where the index case will wear a surgical mask during its period of infectiousness (5 days), compared to households where the index case will not be subject to this intervention. Secondary objectives are: (1) to study the feasibility and tolerance of wearing a mask continuously during the period of viral shedding; (2) virological description of infection spreading among household contacts based on virological collections.

• Device: control
  Non sterile surgical mask,high filtration "AEROKYN",type 2 with eardrop
  Other Name: Control
• Device: Face mask

  Non sterile surgical mask, high filtration "AEROKYN", type 2 with eardrop Masks will be worn at home by the patient over a period of 5 days following inclusion, whenever a member of the household will attend the same room or in other confined space (eg car), and changed after 3 hours of consecutive use or sooner if they are tor

  Masks will not be worn:

  • during the night,
  • when the patient is alone in the room. Moreover, for all households, an incentive in nocturnal isolation of index-patient will be recommended
  Other Name: Face mask

• Placebo Comparator: 2
  No intervention
  Intervention: Device: control
• Experimental: 1
  Mask
  Intervention: Device: Face mask

• Sies H, Akerboom TP, Tager JM. Mitochondrial and cytosolic NADPH systems and isocitrate dehydrogenase indicator metabolites during ureogensis from ammonia in isolated rat hepatocytes. Eur J Biochem. 1977 Jan;72(2):301-7.
• Canini L, Andréoletti L, Ferrari P, D'Angelo R, Blanchon T, Lemaitre M, Filleul L, Ferry JP, Desmaizieres M, Smadja S, Valleron AJ, Carrat F. Surgical mask to prevent influenza transmission in households: a cluster randomized trial. PLoS One. 2010 Nov 17;5(11):e13998.

Inclusion Criteria:

Patient seeking medical advice for:

• For symptoms less than 48 hours, combining fever> = 37.8 ° C and a cough,
• during the period of a seasonal influenza epidemic (as defined by the Sentinel network)
• Older than 5 years
• And living in a household size between 3 to 8..
• The patient is the first case in the household (index patient). The patient has a positive rapid influenza A test.
• Informed consent.
• Affiliation to the social security.

Exclusion Criteria:

• When concomitant influenza cases are known in other householders
• When the patient is suffering from asthma or COPD (ongoing treatment):
• Hospitalization.
• Treatment by a neuraminidase inhibitor.