It is a bizarre masquerade at MGM Medical College and Hospital.

While the virulent H1N1 virus, the cause of the contagious swine flu, is yet to gain toehold in Jharkhand, everyone - from doctors, nurses and paramedics to daily visitors - at the state-run hospital in Jamshedpur's Sakchi are sporting masks, some of them so pettily improvised that they can barely protect one from dust, let alone a lethal strain.

The panic has been further fuelled by the dearth of adequate number of surgical or isolation masks at the hospital. Many members of staff were seen covering their nose and mouth with kerchiefs, safis and gamchhas.

"Who knows when a patient with swine flu may turn up here. I cannot risk a deadly infection," said Bansidhar Gope, an OPD staff. "A small stock of ordinary masks was procured from the market two days ago, but they were used up by nurses soon. Most of us don't have any protective gear. So, we are using gamchhas," he added.

The maximum use of masks was noticed in the medicine department, where most patients are admitted with fever and cough. From doctors and nurses to Home Guard jawans, everyone seemed to prefer keeping their nostrils and mouth under wraps.

" Hum bhi insan hai. Humein bhi swine flu pakad sakta hai. Jab sablog mask pahen rahe hai, to main kyu pichhe rahungi (I am a human being too. I may catch swine flu too. When everybody is using a mask, why should I not)," said Sweta Verma, a lady guard.

MGM superintendent R.Y. Chowdhury admitted both mask crunch and substandard protection. "The ones procured from the market in a hurry are ordinary single-layered masks. Hence, some people are using two masks at once. We have placed an order for triple-layered masks with the health department," he said.

Chowdhury added that they had made arrangements to isolate patients with swine flu, if any case was detected. District surveillance officer Subir Pal has, meanwhile. placed an order for oseltamivir, pills that treat swine flu.

Incidentally, Jharkhand has so far witnessed only one suspected case - a 35-year-old man from Giridih who is being treated at RIMS in Ranchi after he returned with high fever from Hyderabad, a city in the grip of swine flu.

Also, there is limited evidence and no proof that face masks offer protection against H1NI. Masks rated as N95 and technically called respirators should theoretically work better than surgical masks because they have a snug fit. However, consistent and correct use is necessary to minimise risks, which many don't follow.