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Unmasking the N95...

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM APRIL 29. The WHO-approved N95 respirator has overnight become the device most sought after by the groups of medical and non-medical professionals who are manning SARS surveillance at airports and designated isolation wards across the State.

The State Government has already received the first consignment of 50 N95 masks, which were promptly distributed to the surveillance teams at the airports in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode.

The medical professionals manning the isolation wards at the Medical College here and the General Hospital in Kochi are also among the recipients of the masks. Efforts are on to procure another 1,000 N95 masks and an equal number of `safe masks' for non-health authorities as soon as possible.

The Government has also received one of the five pieces of `high-risk masks' promised by the Centre to provide protection to the military in combating bio-terrorism. These protective devices, which resemble scuba diving gear, have been designed and developed by the Bangalore-based Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

According to WHO advisories concerning SARS, the recommendations for personal protection include the use of the N95-rated particulate respirator, face shield, gown and gloves. Health care workers are advised to wear these personal respirators, which have a filtering efficiency of 95 per cent, while attending to patients with suspected or confirmed SARS.

The use of these imported devices could, however, pose a few hiccups for the surveillance staff here.

As per the internationally approved guidelines, the fit of the respirator is very important and the wearer must be clean-shaven so that it seals tightly to the face.

Meanwhile, as part of strengthening SARS surveillance, the Government is also planning to establish `barrier nursing management' facilities (or cubicles) to take care of suspected cases at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and the General Hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi besides the TB hospital in Kozhikode.

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