NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND PHARMACY (NIJPP)

Volume 3 Issue 3 2023

Face Mask use Against Covid-19 among Medical Students at Kampala International University Teaching Hospital Ishaka Town Bushenyi District, Uganda

Atwine Nacy

Department of Clinical Medicine and Dentistry, Kampala International University, Uganda.

ABSTRACT

Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute-respiratory infectious disease caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that spreads mainly through respiratory droplets and secretions. The disease was first reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China in December 2019. COVID-19 transmission can occur directly via contact with infected individuals or indirectly via contact with surfaces in their immediate environment or objects used on or by those infected. In specific circumstances and settings particularly where procedures that generate aerosols are performed, airborne transmission of COVID-19 could be possible. The spread of COVID-19 via aerosols even in the absence of aerosol generating procedures could also be possible. To date, no clear treatment options have been reported for the virus and as such, treatments have been limited to the use of anti- HIV drugs and/or other anti-virals such as Galidesivir and Remdesivir. A cross sectional-descriptive study was used to determine the prevalence of face mask use, attitude and knowledge of face mask use against COVID19 amongst medical students of Kampala international university. The sample size was estimated using the Kish Leslie formula for cross-sectional studies. The result of this study indicates that, out of 423 respondents, 379 (98.9%) used facemasks, majority of the students 261 (61.7%) wore facemasks because their teachers wore facemasks and 246(58.2%) reported that facemasks were uncomfortable. Almost half of the respondents, 205 (49.0%) thought that they were not vulnerable to COVID despite not using the facemasks and 386(91.2%) knew that the appropriate size of the mask was important against COVID 19. The prevalence of facemasks was high amongst medical students. Majority had poor attitude towards facemask use, though with a good knowledge base of face mask use.

Face Mask, Covid-19 and Medical Students

INTRODUCTION

Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute-respiratory infectious disease caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that spreads mainly through respiratory droplets and secretions. The disease was first reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China in December 2019. COVID-19 transmission can occur directly via contact with infected individuals or indirectly via contact with surfaces in their immediate environment or objects used on or by those infected. In specific circumstances and settings particularly where procedures that generate aerosols are performed, airborne transmission of COVID-19 could be possible. The spread of COVID-19 via aerosols even in the absence of aerosol generating procedures could also be possible. To date, no clear treatment options have been reported for the virus and as such, treatments have been limited to the use of anti- HIV drugs and/or other anti-virals such as Galidesivir and Remdesivir [1].

To contain viral spread, several countries continue to utilize non-pharmaceutical public health interventions, including among others: (1) boarder control or closure, (2) partial- or complete- lockdown, (3) quarantine and testing of incoming travelers and returnees, and (4) mass testing for rapid case detection, contact tracing and quarantine. Additional measures, community mitigation strategies including among others: (1) mass media-based sensitization, (2) appealing to the masses to: unceasingly carry out good hygiene practices particularly hand washing, maintain appropriate social distance, stop all mass gatherings, cease all socioeconomic activities except essential services like security, food markets, health-care and wear face-masks also continue to be emphasized [2].These measures have been implemented at different time points and to various degrees in different geographical areas to reduce the risk of community transmission of COVID-19. Noteworthy, several of these measures had been used previously for the control of community transmission of the: (1) Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, (2) pandemic Influenza A H1N1 in 2009, Ebola Viral Hemorrhagic Fever in West Africa in 2014, as well as several viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks over the years in Uganda. Wearing of face-masks in public settings where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, has been documented as one of the most critical prevention measure that can limit the acquisition and spread of COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In light of this, WHO and CDC have developed guidelines for the use of the same in these settings [3]. Previously published studies have shown that wearing of face-masks to control infectious diseases spread has several advantages that include among others: (1) a simple operation, (2) a strong sustainability, (3) high health benefits, and (4) g good h health e economic b benefits. Other previously published studies have also shown that use of face-masks by the general public is of potentially high value in limiting community transmission of infectious diseases. Likewise, the use of face-masks has also been documented to curb viral transmission by asymptomatic individuals and thus limiting the epidemic’s growth rate. With regards to limiting community spread of COVID-19, community-wide use of face-masks has been encouraged. Face-masks have also been suggested to serve as visible cues of an otherwise yet widely prevalent pathogen, SARS-CoV-2, and as tools that could be utilized to remind people of the importance of the other infection-control measures such as social distancing. Face-masks have also been documented to be symbolic, beyond them being tools; they have been described as talismans that could increase health-care workers’ perceived sense of safety, well-being, and trust in their health-care settings [4].Face masks and respirators were considered an effective method of preventing respiratory infections. Most participants described face masks/respirators as the “only” and the “best protection” method available to protect healthcare workers (HCWs) from respiratory infections [5]. Preventing health professionals from infectious diseases/respiratory infections is crucial to promote the health and safety of staff and to maintain the performance and capability of the health workforce during outbreaks of emerging infections, such as pandemic COVID-19, influenza, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona virus (MERS-CoV), and Ebolavirus [6]. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) protection from contamination is based on the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE). Transmission routes of SARS-Cov-2 include direct transmission (droplet, eg cough, sneeze) and contact transmission (contact with oral, nasal, and eye mucous membranes). The existence of corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) in the environment of patients with COVID-19 reinforces the belief that fomites play a role in the transmission of the virus; however, the relative significance of this route of transmission relative to direct exposure to respiratory droplets is still obscure [7].In developing countries, where the occurrence of communicable disease is high and the hospital environmental conditions are often poor, hospitals may rely mostly on PPE to protect their staffs. Face masks use (including medical and cloth masks) and respirators are strongly recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a standard for transmission-based safety measures [8].Healthcare workers are crucial to any healthcare system. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers are at a substantially increased risk of becoming infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and could come to considerable harm as a result. Healthcare professionals are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 because of the nature of their job. They could be exposed to atypical patients, infected family members, contacts, and colleagues, or live in communities of active transmission, as this type of work is very difficult to maintain social distancing. Due to this reason proper face mask as recommended by WHO guidelines is needed for safe work force re-entry for people with elevated individual and occupational risk from COVID-19 [9]. This study was therefore conducted to determine, the, prevalence, attitude and knowledge towards facemasks use against covid-19 among medical students at KIU-TH.

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CITE AS: Atwine Nacy (2023). Face Mask use Against Covid-19 among Medical Students at Kampala International University Teaching Hospital Ishaka Town Bushenyi District, Uganda. NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND PHARMACY (NIJPP) 3(3):12-25.

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