Who and when should you wear a face mask? The health department recommends that everyone over the age of 2 years should wear cloth face masks in public places, especially in areas where it is difficult to maintain the mandatory 6 feet distance.

It is best to wear a face mask if you are sick and if there are other people around, at home also. Caregivers are supposed to use the facemask when cleaning and disinfecting a sick person’s bedroom or bathroom.

When visiting a doctor or a hospital, you should wear a face mask.

Wearing a facemask is in addition to other COVID-19 safety measures. You still have to limit contact with other people, wash your hands often with soap and keep surfaces clean.

Who should not wear a face mask?

Children under two years of age, someone who is having trouble breathing, someone who is unconscious or people who can’t move or take-off a mask by themselves need not wear a mask.

The right way to wear a face mask

Before you put on a face mask, wash your hand for 20 seconds with soap and water. Then, secure the mask either with ties behind the head or loops behind the ears as provided. Adjust to fit the mask properly around your nose and mouth and under your chin.

Take care, there is no space between your face and the mask. Pinch the top edge of the mask to fit it around the bridge of your nose. The mask should fit comfortably and be able to breathe easily through it.

Once you wear it and step out, do not go on touching your mask every now and then.

Cleaning and maintaining the face mask

It is best to wash cloth masks with hot water and detergent after every use. If the mask has a filter, take it out before washing. After taking out the mask from the washing machine, hang it up for drying. Wash your hands when you’re done.

After drying your mask check for any hole or frayed edges that can cause gaps around your face.

Before you use the mask again, check for holes. Be sure it’s not frayed and doesn’t gap around your face.

It is recommended to wash your face mask rather than just putting it out in the sun since there is no evidence that sunlight can deactivate the COVID – 19 virus.

Myths and facts about face masks

Gaps in masks make them useless

A mask that does not fit perfectly may not be totally useless if it has a high filter level. Even cloth masks that fit perfectly can’t stop all particles. But a mask that has a gap won’t work nearly as well as a perfectly fitting mask.

Should wear a mask at home too

It is not required to wear a mask at home unless you yourself are sick or you are caring for someone who is sick.

We should wear a mask when exercising outdoors

Though it is best to wear a mask when you go outdoor, wearing a mask and exercising has its own problems. Some people will feel breathless when they wear a mask and exercise. So, it’s fine not to wear a mask when exercising outdoor if you maintain 6 feet distance with other people.

Masks trap carbon dioxide and viruses

Continuously wearing an N95 mask for several hours can make CO2 linger behind the mask. The presence of excess carbon dioxide will cause headache, dizziness and fatigue. At the same time, cloth and surgical masks generally do not cause so much of a problem.

Yes, mask could trap particles of coronavirus and that is why it is recommended that face masks should not be touched often when wearing them and they should be properly washed once you use them outdoors.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a autoimmune condition. The condition occurs when the immune system, which is supposed to protect us, goes out of control and begins to attack our own body tissues. The disease causes inflammation in the liming of the joints (the synovium) and results in redness, warm feeling and painful swelling in the joints.

RA can occur on both sides of the body, where it affects both hands, both wrists or both knees. This is one sign that differentiates it from other forms of arthritis. RA is progressive and over time, it starts affecting other vital organs and parts of the body, including the eyes, heart, lungs, blood vessels and more.

Symptoms of RA

The most prominent warning sign of RA is joint pains and swelling in the joints on both sides of the body. There may be stiffness, early in the morning or when you sit in one position for a long time. Constant fatigue is also a very apparent sign of RA.

RA affects people in different ways. In some, the joint pain may occur over several years and in others, it will set in quickly. Some others will have RA for a few years and then it will go into remission with no symptoms until it resurfaces later after several years.

Who are at risk?

The disease is more common in women than in men. But when men do get affected there, the degree of pain will be much more than normally for women. Adults in their middle age are the worst affected and at risk to get affected. Sometimss’ young children and older people are also seen to be afflicted with RA.

What are the causes of RA?

Till now, the specific reason for the onset of RA has not been pinpointed. There is something that triggers the immune system to attack the joint cells and sometimes other organs too. Reserach tells that some kind of virus or bacteria may be changing the immune system, causing it to attack your joints. Specific other lifestyle causes include smoking.

How does RA affect the body?

Usually, the immune system cells move from the blood into your joints and tissues that line them.  This kind of tissue is called the synovium. Once these cells arrive, they start the inflammation. This causes joint swelling as the fluid builds up inside it. Finally, the joints become painful, swollen and warm to touch.

The inflammation wears off the cartilage in the joints which is a tissue that covers the bones. As the cartilage is lost the space between bones decreases. The result is that soon the bones start rubbing against each other and they move out of place. The cells that cause inflammation contain other substances that are harmful to the bones.

The inflammation then spreads and affects other organs and systems all over the body.

How is RA diagnosed?

Rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed through observation of the symptoms like painful joints, especially the hand joints. Joint stiffness, bumps and nodules under the skin and through an analysis of the certain X-rays and blood tests.

Treatments for RA

Treatments for RA include medications, ample rest, proper exercise and in very severe cases surgery would be recommended to correct damaged joints. There is no cure as such for RA but early and aggressive treatment will help prevent any disability and decrease the chance of remission.

It is a known fact that influenza or for short the common respiratory flu typically peaks in January and February. The illness appears in a range of mild to severe degree. Occasionally hospitalisation will be needed to treat very severe cases. Though surprising, the influenza-related death rate is rather high across the world.

What is the flu?

Flu is actually the short form for seasonal influenza, which is a viral infection that attacks the respiratory system. The flu symptoms often come on suddenly and at first look like the common cold. A runny nose, congestion, sneezing and sore throat are typical.

What are the symptoms?

The typical symptoms will include fever, body ache and muscle stiffness, chills and sweats, headaches, cough, fatigue and weakness.

Influenza and Stomach Flu

The seasonal flu is not in any way similar or related to the stomach flu which is a collective term for an intestinal infection. The stomach flu will result in diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea and vomiting.

Causes for flu

When a person with flu coughs or sneezes, the flu virus travels through the air in droplets when a healthy person inhales the droplets, the virus infects the person too. Even though less likely, the infection may spread by touching objects previously contaminated by a sick person and then inoculate yourself by touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Who is at risk?

If a person is young and robust with a healthy immune system, the flu will be self-limiting, which means it can resolve with some supportive care. But high-risk people including young children, adults over 65 years, pregnant women, people with chronic illness and people with weak immune systems, can develop serious complications.

Mostly notably, this group of high-risk people can develop pneumonia due to the flu, which can lead to respiratory failure and finally, even death.

How to prevent and protect against the flu?

You can take specific steps annually to protect yourself against the flu attack.

Get vaccination: The flu vaccine is available as an injection or a nasal spray. While the vaccine may not be 100% effective, it is the best defense against flu infection.

Wash your hands: You must practice good hand hygiene which prevents catching the flu and other infections. You can scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer too.

Cover your coughs and sneezes: Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue paper when you sneeze or cough. This prevents the virus from spreading. You can also put your arm up and cough or sneeze into the sleeves and do not sneeze or cough into your hand directly.

Keep away from crowded places: The flu virus spreads easily wherever there is a crowd. These places could be anywhere you go daily like the schools, office buildings and auditorium and even public transportation. You need not be reclusive but avoiding such crowded areas during the peak flu season will lower your chances of catching influenza.

Treatment for flu

Usually, complete rest and drinking plenty of fluids will take care of your flu. Some doctors may prescribe antiviral medications depending on the severity of your illness. If the symptoms are severe and you fall in the high-risk category, then seeing your doctor as early as possible and if need be getting admitted in a hospital will be appropriate to tackle the condition.