How Effective are Medical Masks Amid Coronavirus Spread?

There has been a crazy rush to buy and stock medical masks in several countries, including India, amid the rapid spread of coronavirus cases. Hear what are the expert's opinion about wearing a mask, and what are the right procedures to follow.// According to the World Health Organization (WHO), wearing a medical mask alone is insufficient to provide the adequate level of protection and other equally relevant measures should be adopted.

If masks are to be used, this measure must be combined with hand hygiene and other infection prevention and control (IPC) measures to prevent the human-to-human transmission of the disease.

India''s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also recently issued guidelines to increase awareness about the use of masks.

The guidelines emphasize that medical masks should not be used by healthy persons who are not having any symptoms because it can create a false sense of security that can lead to neglecting other essential measures such as the washing of hands.

"Further, there is no scientific evidence to show the health benefit of using masks for non-sick persons in the community. In fact, erroneous use of masks or continuous use of a disposable mask for longer than 6 hours or repeated use of the same mask may actually increase the risk of getting an infection. It also incurs an unnecessary cost," it added.

But you should also wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.

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Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water, the guidelines added.

Before putting on a mask, clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. Cover mouth and nose with mask and make sure there are no gaps between your face and the mask.

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Avoid touching the mask while using it. If you do, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.

Replace the mask with a new one as soon as it is damp and do not re-use single-use masks.

To remove the mask, take it out from behind as touching the front of the mask is not advised. After removing the mask, you need to discard it immediately in a closed bin and clean the hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.

Medical masks of different sizes and shapes are available in the market. The common ones are flat pleated masks of woven fabric which cover the nose and mouth and are affixed behind the head with straps/elastic fasteners.

There are also conical or duckbill shaped masks with valves (or without valves) that fit in the contour of the face over the nose and mouth but are costlier, according to the guidelines issued by the ministry.

According to the WHO, the route of human-to-human transmission of COVID-19 is either via respiratory droplets or contact. Any person who is in close contact - within 1 meter with someone who has respiratory symptoms like sneezing, coughing, etc. is at risk of being exposed to potentially infective respiratory droplets.

Source-IANS