The manufacturing companies are working closely with the government and healthcare institutions to deal with the H1N1 pandemic.

'We are working closely with the government and have been supplying face masks to them as best as possible to meet this extraordinary and unusual demand. In addition we are working closely with the state governments by helping them prepare for pandemic situations and to educate and build awareness about it,' said Nagaraj.

3M supplies four different types of N95 respirators in India. The price of the N95 respirators varies from Rs.44 to Rs.227.

'While all of them conform to the N95 standard, they differ in terms of construction and features specific to usage,' he said.

'For example, respirators featuring valves are intended for health workers to allow them to wear them for longer durations and ensure comfort but respirators without valves are intended for patients to prevent them from spreading the virus while exhaling.'

Nagaraj warns that under no circumstances should an attempt be made to clean or wash a disposable respirator.

'Masks should be disposed of after use unless directed otherwise and it is recommended that they be replaced once they have been taken off after exposure to a contaminated environment,' Nagaraj added.

India has so far reported 22 swine flu deaths while the H1N1 virus has affected nearly 1,100 people.

(Richa Sharma can be contacted at richa.s@ians.in)