JMIR Public Health and Surveillance
Reframing Pandemic Preparedness: Why Positive-Pressure Exposure Control Merits Formal Public Health Evaluation
Abstract Powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) are respiratory protective devices that actively supply filtered air and maintain positive pressure in the breathing zone, thereby limiting the inward leakage of unfiltered ambient air through gaps. Their principles and technology are already established. Positive-pressure PAPRs have primarily been used by health care workers in high-risk environments. However, their potential as an individual-level infection-control measure applicable to the general public has not …