By Katy Nguyen, Staff Writer
Is that person next to you sneezing and coughing all over your desk? A surgical face mask, the kind worn by doctors and nurses would help, but they’re not commonly worn outside of hospitals.
“It’s good to wear [surgical face masks] to protect from spreading the disease if you have a cold or the flu. It’s going to protect you from getting it out to other people, and would also prevent you from getting it because the droplets don’t permeate through” Nurse Marci McLean-Crawford said.
Surgical face masks are often called “courtesy masks” because they help people avoid touching others and spreading disease onto hard surfaces, where viruses can survive up to 24 hours.
“I think it’s just a courtesy for people to use face masks and not spread it all over the place,” senior Katrina Huynh said.
A 2013 study by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) announced that surgical face masks decreased the release of large viral droplets by 25-fold. The same study also found that fine viral droplets suspended in the air were less likely to infect those wearing face masks.
Another NCBI study says that wearing face masks can limit the exposure of the viruses in households, but they found that less than 50% of the people who were studied actually wore them. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that individuals with viral illnesses should take preventative measures such as face masks, but does not encourage or discourage healthy persons to wear face masks for prevention, regardless of risk of contracting the influenza viruses.
FVHS’s dress code policy does not mention anything about face masks. However, Nurse Marci adds that it’s a difficult situation since the school wants students to be recognizable.
“We don’t encourage that everyone goes ahead and use a face mask while they are at school. If they ask for one we’ll give them one,” Nurse Marc said. “There are definitely benefits to it. That’s why when you go to the hospital they have [face masks] there, especially during the flu season.”
The school requires students who are sick with a temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit to stay at home until they’ve been fever-free for 24 hours.
Surgical face masks aren’t necessarily a fashionable item in school. Nonetheless, if you are sick, always try to avoid as much contact with others as possible, wash your hands and don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth.
Whether or not you decide to wear one, surgical face masks are always available for purchase at your local CVS, Walgreens, Target and are offered in the Health Center in the Administration building for free.
