\n<\/p>\n
An NHS leader who said people with flu symptoms \u201cmust wear\u201d a face mask in public risks causing \u201cconfusion\u201d among the public over official guidance on how to fight the virus, health experts have warned.<\/p>\n
The number of people in hospital with flu in England is at a record level for this time of year. At least six hospitals across the UK have told patients to stay away due to a surge in flu cases sweeping the country this week.<\/p>\n
Daniel Elkeles, the chief executive of NHS Providers, said on Tuesday that \u201cif you are coughing and sneezing, but you\u2019re not unwell enough to not go to work, you must wear a mask when you\u2019re in public spaces, including on public transport\u201d. His comments received widespread coverage.<\/p>\n
But health experts told the Guardian his advice could undermine public faith in official guidance from government bodies such as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which says people should \u201cconsider\u201d wearing a mask in such circumstances.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing we learned from Covid is how important it is that messages from health authorities and governments are clear and aligned,\u201d said Simon Williams, a behavioural scientist and public health researcher at Swansea University.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people receive conflicting, unclear or mixed messages about health advice, such as when to wear masks, this can be confusing for people and can undermine the messages.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams added this could also prompt \u201calert fatigue\u201d, where the public \u201cultimately get confused by, or switched off from health advisories\u201d. Another risk is that the difference in language could be used by those spreading misinformation online \u201cto make false statements\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, wearing a mask in indoor crowded spaces was \u201ca good idea\u201d when cases of flu were high and rising \u2013 \u201cparticularly if you yourself have symptoms of the flu\u201d, Williams said. But detail in health advice from officials still mattered, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a big difference between saying that people \u2018must\u2019 wear masks and [that] they are \u2018recommended\u2019 to wear them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, voiced similar concerns. \u201cIn public health \u2026 one of the biggest problems with miscommunication is if experts disagree. So if you\u2019ve got people arguing different things, that undermines the message, whatever it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cIf people who are allegedly representing the consensus view, or are perceived by others to be part of that official view, then giving advice which conflicts actually undermines the advice full stop.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt always causes confusion. It\u2019s not just me saying that \u2013 there\u2019s research to support that going back decades.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hunter said mixed messaging on masks also risked creating confusion over vaccines.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt undermines not only that advice [on flu and masks] but more general advice. You know \u2026 \u2018If the experts can\u2019t agree about whether or not we have to wear masks, what about their advice on vaccines?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
NHS Providers is a trade body that represents the 204 health trusts in England and speaks for the senior managers who run them, but is not part of the health service itself.<\/p>\n
Last week Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, a consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said if someone had flu-like symptoms and needed to go out while unwell, they could \u201cconsider wearing a face mask\u201d.<\/p>\n
Asked about Elkeles\u2019s remarks yesterday, No 10 said there were different measures people \u201ccan consider taking to help limit the spread of winter bugs if they have flu-like symptoms.\u201d That was \u201cneither new nor an instruction, but simply something people can consider when trying to limit the spread of winter respiratory illnesses\u201d.<\/p>\n
When asked if they endorsed Elkeles\u2019s view that those with flu symptoms \u201cmust wear\u201d a face mask, other NHS and health organisations distanced themselves.<\/p>\n
Rory Deighton, the director of acute care at the NHS Confederation, which also represents trusts, and with which NHS Providers is merging next year, pointed to the UKHSA\u2019s advice, saying: \u201cThere are a range of sensible measures that people can take to help to reduce the spread of flu, including getting vaccinated I they are eligible and either staying at home if they feel unwell or wearing a mask if they have to go outdoors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prof Mumtaz Patel, the president of the Royal College of Physicians, did not offer a view on masks and instead urged people, including NHS staff, to get vaccinated against flu.<\/p>\n
More and more hospitals are asking staff, patients and visitors to wear a mask in at least some wards to combat flu.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome hospitals have introduced mask wearing on certain wards, such as A&E, intensive care units, oncology and renal dialysis services where the risk is higher,\u201d Deighton said. \u201cAs rates of flu continue to rise, we expect this to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An NHS leader who said people with flu symptoms \u201cmust wear\u201d a face mask in public risks causing \u201cconfusion\u201d among the public over official guidance on how to fight the virus, health experts have warned. The number of people in hospital with flu in England is at a record level for this time of year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[4585,8686,320,584,4255,37,5786,1229,364,11332,4340,3091],"class_list":{"0":"post-36770","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-chiefs","9":"tag-criticise","10":"tag-experts","11":"tag-face","12":"tag-flu","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-masks","15":"tag-nhs","16":"tag-people","17":"tag-remarks","18":"tag-symptoms","19":"tag-wear"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36770\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}