Swine flu scare pushes up sale of surgical masks in Bhopal
The swine flu scare has increased the sale of respiratory masks in the city despite the fact that medical experts hold them ineffective against H1N1 virus. Only N95 masks, available with the state government, can provide protection against swine flu, experts said.
The swine flu scare has increased the sale of respiratory masks in the city despite the fact that medical experts hold them ineffective against H1N1 virus.
Only N95 masks, available with the state government, can provide protection against swine flu, experts said.
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Nevertheless, each chemist is selling around 50 surgical masks a day. These masks can be bought for Rs 10 a piece and are commonly demanded by private hospitals, nursing homes and clinics.
The extent of panic buying can be gauged from the fact that even chemists are using them now.
Sunny Kumar, who runs a chemist shop outside Children's Hospital in MP Nagar, said, "After many people started coming to buy masks, I also became apprehensive. I myself started wearing a surgical mask."
Prateek Jain, a chemist in New Bhopal, said people were buying the masks as they are cheap and available. "For the first time I am witnessing such a large-scale sale of the respiratory masks," he said.
Another chemist at 10 Number Market, wishing not to be named, said youngsters also want to buy N95 masks, that are not available with chemists here.
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Medicine specialist at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, Dr Alkesh Khurana, said N95 masks, which were available online at Rs 300 to Rs 400, were effective against the virus.
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Medicine specialist at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, Dr Alkesh Khurana, said N95 masks, which were available online at Rs 300 to Rs 400, were effective against the virus.
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.
