[blimp]

masks at my local "drugstore" were not sold out when i was there 30 min ago. i did hear though from friends in osaka that they were a little more difficult to find. if you ask me though, i think this is only temporary due to the drastic increase in demand in that region. drugstores, or supermarkets too for that matter, will most likely be stocked up in a few days.

totally agreeing with sangetsu. those masks will not save you from any airborne swine flu virus. for that you will need a mask with a real filter. as many here in japan have seen on the telly, authority personnel that do checks inside the aircrafts wear real masks.