"I think we are actually suffering a shrinkage in our resources for which I see no intellectual justification, " Professor Frenk added.

BBC: Astronomers 'must make own case'

Masks carry both physical and psychological benefits, said Dr. Julio Frenk, former health minister of Mexico and current dean of the Harvard School of Public Health.

CNN: Masks keep you from spreading illness

Julio Frenk, former health minister of Mexico and now dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, holds an opposing view: The disease could be killing people who are not healthy because of their living conditions.

CNN: Among the swine flu mysteries: Why only deaths in Mexico?