Australians with flu-like symptoms should use masks: GP

RACGP Victoria member Dr Chris Chau moved to Australia two years ago after working in Hong Kong for many years.
 
During the 2003 SARS outbreak, he was involved in public health efforts combatting the virus and later worked as the Senior Medical Officer at the Centre for Health Protection, which was established after the epidemic.
 
Dr Chau believes it is time for Australian people displaying flu-like symptoms to begin using the kind of anti-infectious disease techniques already commonplace in densely populated cities across Asia.
 
‘I have an impression that awareness of infectious disease in Australia is in general not very high,’ he told newsGP.  
 
‘It’s not just for [the person infected], but for the protection of others.
 
‘If [a coronavirus outbreak] happens in Australia, the first doctor in contact will likely be a GP. That means the risk is there.’
 
The calls come after Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy said there is no need for Australians who are well to wear face masks.
 
To date, Australia has had no person-to-person transmission of coronavirus, though new outbreaks are emerging in Iran, Italy, South Korea and Japan.
 
Health authorities are preparing for the possibility of the coronavirus becoming widespread in Australia, with planning for a potential pandemic under way.
 
Infectious diseases expert Professor Raina MacIntyre has warned that if the virus becomes entrenched, 25–70% of Australians could contract it. While the virus is mild for most people, the case fatality rate of 2–3% is considered high.
 
Dr Chau’s calls focus instead on patients with upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), which include colds and flu, and would help tackle coronavirus if it began circulating in Australia.
 
Dr Chau recently treated two people with URTIs who coughed and sneezed in his clinic without wearing masks, potentially exposing him to an infection.   
 
‘In Hong Kong we automatically put on masks if we get symptoms of a transmissible disease. These measures are not being so commonly practised in Australia,’ he said.
 
‘Because we’ve had the experience of SARS in Hong Kong, people intuitively just try to gear up and do whatever they can.’
 
Dr Chau returned from Hong Kong in January, where he observed how the city was responding to the coronavirus fears. Mask use was common, as was social distancing.
 
Dr Chau said such measures would also be effective in Australia.
 
‘GPs could be saying we would like to see the public more aware of their wellbeing or to take more precautions,’ he said.
 
‘We can practice social distancing; if you’re sick with a cold or flu, why not stay home rather than mixing with others? Why not change a greeting ritual [to avoid close proximity]?’
 
Dr Chau acknowledges these types of small cultural changes are ‘easier said than done’.
 
‘But if GPs send these signals, it can let people know that, okay, it would be good to be more aware of their symptoms,’ he said.
 
Dr Chau has been wearing face masks in his consultation room since arriving back from Hong Kong.
 
‘With every patient of mine, I explained to them why I did that and tried to ask how they felt about it when I wear mask,’ he said. ‘They were quite positive about seeing me doing that. That’s the way to test how they feel about it.
 
‘Public education on this is important, especially since we don’t know who will contract coronavirus or pass it onto others.
 
‘This is a good opportunity to step up a little bit – not only for our health, but for other people.’  
 
The RACGP has more information on coronavirus available on its website.

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