Mir Iqbal
SRINAGAR, Feb 22: The face mask business has gone up abruptly in Kashmir valley due to swine flu scare, which took six lives and more than one hundred have been tested positive for the disease so far across the State.
The sales have increased in last few days with almost every medical store selling them like hot cakes and people have been seen busy in buying packs for them. Medical agencies and businessmen are procuring masks in large numbers.
Epidemiologist, Dr S M Qadri said that there was no need to put on the masks while roaming outside homes. “We don’t need to wear it all,” he said. “We need to wash hands frequently, maintain distance from infected patients and spread awareness about the flu,” he said.
Director Health Services, Kashmir Dr Saleem Ur Rehman told Excelsior that he doesn’t recommend the general public to use these facemasks. “There is no need to wear the masks while moving out of homes or visiting public places,” he said, adding, only those people who have close dealing with inflected patients need to wear it.
However, they said those medicos deployed in casualty rooms or emergency wards need to wear it as a precautionary measure. “Medicos use mask only at the time of collecting samples from patients, because a medico has to come close to the patient while collecting throat or nasal swap,” they said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel