10 August,2009 04:41 PM IST | | Kranti Vibhute
Panic is spreading faster than swine flu, but chemists have little to complain about with Mumbaikars going on a mask-buying spree.
The prescribed N95 facemasks, available for Rs 75-80, are already sold out. The few left are selling at three times the price.
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"We sold 120 masks for Rs 350 a piece yesterday and I'm out of stock now," said Sajjan Rajpurohit, a salesman at Mohan Medical Stores at Four Bungalows in Andheri.
The store has sold more than 2,000 masks over the last seven days. Prasad Dhanave, general secretary, Retail and Dispensing Chemist Association, said, "Post swine flu, the N95 mask has become highly sought after.
It costs Rs 100 and some chemists are selling it for Rs 150." Added Dhanave, who also runs a pharmacy in Dahisar, "Many people are also opting for surgical masks. I am selling around 150 masks every hour."
The right mask
But doctors say surgical masks are not good enough to keep the virus at bay.
Dr Khushrav Bajan, ICU in-charge, Hinduja Hospital, said, "The N95 masks are the only masks that provide protection from the swine flu virus. The Rs 15 surgical masks are as bad as your handkerchief and should be changed every four hours.
Even then, there is no foolproof protection against the flu."
Wrong advice?
Interestingly, BMC Executive health officer Jairaj Thanekar thinks otherwise. "People should use handkerchiefs since they are thicker than masks and can be cleaned from time to time," he said.
