In July, Rajiv Garg, Director General of Health Services, said that the use of valved respirator N-95 masks is harmful to the measures adopted for preventing the spread of coronavirus.
And simultaneously, India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had issued an advisory to State governments and Union territories warning them against the "inappropriate use" of wearing an N95 mask with a valved respirator.
Further, in the month of August, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their guidance for COVID-19 to warn against masks with exhalation valves or vents, stating that these masks should not be worn for source control as they do not help prevent the person wearing the mask from spreading COVID-19 to others.
However, in spite of it, these masks are being voluntarily traded in the market and the consumers unaware of the harmful effects of such masks, are using them.
The primary purpose of a mask is to prevent a symptomatic or an asymptomatic person from spreading the virus when they either talk, exhale or cough. A valve, however, enables the virus to seep through, thus spreading the virus.
Therefore, these masks defeat the purpose of wearing a mask - i.e., it does not stop the spread of the virus.
And, further awareness regarding the same should be strengthened through communicative mediums in midst of this pandemic growing serious day by day.
Rajashree Das,
Gauhati University.