Health Department offering masks
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on October 13, 2014 1:46 PM
If you visit the Wayne County Health Department and discover security and staff wearing masks, don't be alarmed -- it's for their health and yours.
The precautionary measure was prompted more by communicable diseases in general and not recent cases of enterovirus, the respiratory virus that has been affecting children across the country. Since late September, a total of nine cases have been reported in North Carolina, out of the more than 500 cases in 43 states.
Health Director Davin Madden said that while there have been no local cases of enterovirus reported to date, his staff has been doing a more proactive evaluation and this is considered "normal protocol" going into the flu season.
"We now have signs up notifying people if they have symptoms to put on a mask," he said. "We have noticed a slight uptick with people coming in with cold symptoms. We're encouraging any clients that come in, if they have a cold or runny nose or flu-like symptoms, to wear a mask."
The Health Department has several safety stations providing hand sanitizer and masks on the first floor, Madden said.
He said the discussion will continue as to whether additional precautionary measures need to be taken to protect public health.
"We already have a fairly effective protocol of procedures that we follow," he said. "Staff are pretty good at talking to clients. If they're symptomatic, we try to isolate them unless they have a mask on.
"We feel like the public is reasonably protected."
Madden said that while he believes there is no reason to be alarmed about enterovirus, it is having a more severe impact on young people and teens. As such, he said precautions need to be taken and it should not be taken lightly.
Likewise, he hopes over time the sight of someone wearing a mask will not create concern.
"People in the U.S. are so unaccustomed to people just taking that extra precaution," he said. "You feel like (it's) an alert when you see somebody wearing a mask. You feel uncomfortably because it's not a familiar sight.
"I'm hoping that people will become more comfortable. You see it all the time overseas -- people wear those masks to work to protect themselves."
The health director said anyone who feels symptomatic, or who is concerned about their own health, should consider wearing a mask.
"It should be a common thing that no one feels uncomfortable or embarrassed by," he said.