Swine Flu Panic Thailand-The Face Mask Effect.

Despite my best efforts to avoid the subject of swine flu panic in Thailand I can't avoid it in this weeks look at the local media since it seems that Thailand has finally woken up to the fact that the spread of the virus is unstoppable.

Hunkered down in my little bit of rural Thailand I have also been contemplating what to do if the worst happens and one or all of us contract the virus. The answer to that seems simple enough since there is plenty of advice around regarding treatment and the routes you need to take to obtain treatment. There is even an English version of advice from The Ministry of Public Health along with hot line numbers to phone.

However being more interested in preventing catching the virus in the first place I also assessed the risks in this area. One obvious high risk route for transmission is Doy since she attends a school in Prachuap, she is also 6 yrs old and therefore in a high risk group. We all also run the risk of transmission from direct contact with an infected person in a public place.

Which brings me round to the use of face masks and the Thai government plans to distribute them wholesale. There has been a lot written on this subject both in Thailand and internationally but the value of such "protection" seems that they might help you if you have swine flu and want to stop it spreading to others but they won't stop you catching it. That said the advice from the CDC in the USA suggests face masks are no use in the majority of cases which includes large scale public gatherings.

In fact the use of face masks by some people in Thailand seems to be effecting them in a negative ways with the Bangkok Post referring to them as masks of terror today.

"A woman recently told a traffic radio station she was kicked out of a mini-van after refusing to remove her mask when the driver complained that he feared it would scare off his passengers"

Finally another article in the Bangkok Post about the panic caused by swine flu also caught my attention since like the author I am also subject to bouts of sneezing brought on by my sensitivity to things like dust and chillies being cooked. I therefore tend to sneeze a lot particularly in public places like markets.

Now whenever I am in public and I feel the urge to sneeze I can't help but wonder what my fellow travellers are thinking. Of course the more I try to stifle a sneeze the worst it becomes and it makes my eyes water as well. Add to this the fact that I am usually hot and visibly sweating, due to the climate, I guess the average person might get the impression that I was a walking virus factory.

Which leaves me thinking that if I was to wear a face mask as well I might cause my own swine flu panic. So for the time being I think I will remain mask free.

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