The National MS Society, MS Ireland, and the MS Society of the UK, for example, all offer information on COVID-19 for people with MS, but they vary in the depth to which they cover the topic and link to other sources of information. One area that seems to be rarely addressed, if ever, is specific advice on masks for people with MS.
Mixed Messaging Around Masks
The science of combatting SARS-CoV-2 (the virus behind COVID-19) is a fast-moving target. Different countries have quite different strategies for coping with the pandemic. Add that to the impression that science, politics, and the media seem to be more often colliding than collaborating, and you have a recipe for an underinformed (or worse, misinformed) public in this time of crisis. The general use of masks for healthy individuals in the community (mass masking) is one such international divergence. A recently published article in The Lancet called out the disparity. The World Health Organization (as of April 6) and Public Health England (as of April 23), for example, have not yet made recommendations for mass masking by healthy people. In contrast, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made a firm call for almost everyone to wear a mask outside their home. Canada, South Korea, Hong Kong, and the Czech Republic, among others, also either recommend or require mass masking by their populations. The authors of the Lancet article point out South Korea and Hong Kong specifically, as they have managed to limit their COVID-19 outbreaks, thus far, without lockdown.
The Key Facts About Wearing Masks
Important factors about mass masking and MS come down to a few important details:
Mass masking only really works when the masses mask. This has to be an all-in response if it is to work within a community.Wearing a mask is unlikely to protect you from the coronavirus. The main purpose of mass masking, according to the CDC, is to prevent people who have the virus from transmitting it to others.There is an international shortage of medical-grade masks (standard surgical masks and N95 respirators), so this limited supply should be kept for people on the front lines of the response to the pandemic.Proper use, changing, and sanitizing of masks — and public education of the same — are imperative.Masks should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.Mask wearing should not engender a false sense of security when it comes to other methods of infection control, such as social distancing, cough and sneeze etiquette, hand-washing, and appropriate self-isolation.
Wearing a Mask Is One Way We Can All Help
We all wonder what we can do to help during this unprecedented time in the world. Often it feels as if there isn’t anything we can really do. But in this case, masking up seems to be one small thing that most of us could do to help stop the spread of this disease. Wishing you and your family the best of health. Cheers, Trevis
