The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has warned the public to ignore a fake post widely circulating on social media urging them to wear their masks at schools and in public hospitals, claiming that its due to a spike in Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) cases.

IT'S FAKE

The NICD has rubbished the claims as fake news and said there is no current outbreak of RSV. "It has come to our attention that a message regarding the outbreak RSV and associated guidelines is circulating. We would like to clarify that this message is fake news and the NICD did not issue such a statement. Please be advised that there is currently no outbreak of RSV and no mandatory wearing of N95 masks in schools and public hospitals has been implemented. We urge everyone to rely on official sources for accurate information regarding public health matters," said the NICD. The fake message stated that the warning was issued by various stakeholders. "The communication is issued collaboratively by the Department of Health and Education, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and World Health Organization," the fake message stated.

WHAT IS RSV?

The NICD, described RSV as the most common cause of bronchiolitis and lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) that causes dire illness in infants and children. "It is highly contagious with transmission mainly by respiratory droplets and re-infections can occur. The RSV season usually precedes the influenza season with the average onset at the end of February over the past 10 years, excluding 2020 and 2021," the NICD said.