First, I'm sorry that you're feeling singled out or profiled. My first thought was to draw a mouth on it just to be contrary. It seems like it wasn't an original idea. You could move to Asia. When I first traveled to Japan and other coastal areas of the Orient, it was like fashion to wear hospital masks.
Some of the masks had obvious functions like working in a toll booth, avoiding the ever present soot from charcoal used to heat small homes/apartments and diesel exhaust. Mostly Asian's seem to hate dust or any itchy feeling in the nasal pathway. I'm not Asian but I was really surprised how many Asian friends made identical remarks about this sensitivity. It's a big deal for many. It's a lot more polluted too. Not to pick on China but from 1984 until I stopped international travel in 2000 China's economy has grown annually, in double digit increases in GDP. The coastal countries east of China are more or less down wind. From 1990 on, I saw the sun in Seoul once in the total of a year's worth of visits. By 1995 everybody wore masks. You could see the smog billowing over the gigantic Han river that ran through Seoul.
Back when SARS virus was at threat levels similar to the current (idiotic) horse out of the barn climate currently going on with Ebola, big signs were going up in ED's and hospitals asking to report any travel to Africa and a form you fill out with more questions about this potential travel. The news will die down, signs will be removed and life will go back to ignoring travel information until the next super bug shows up in Shanghai or Phuket, both places among a hundred I've been to that is the stuff of nightmares for epidemiologists.
During the SARS scare I remember watching a live news broadcast from the international terminal's last desk, quarantine, before foreign flights first walked onto American soil, or carpet in this case. The report was embarrassing. A Korean Air flight had deplaned its passengers and the reporter were in the spotlight with the lonely quarantine desk sat with one attendant. The reporter was acting incensed over the lack of action. Just as a woman was walking by wearing a surgical mask she pointed at her, and the spotlighted camera followed as she expressed "Like why aren't they checking this woman"? Where's Heraldo Rivera when you need him, Asians and smart travelers that are accustomed to the super humidity of coastal air, conserve moisture loss with a cloth or mask while in the 10% relative humidity on a 14 hour flight. Landing in Denver is no improvement with our high altitude, dry hard boogers have been part of a cultural lecture when we had foreign visitors from coastal regions. My point is at least in the clinic, everybody knows it is smart to wear a mask. You don't need to educate the whole world. That's why we have Heraldo.
I no longer wish to travel but when I did, international travelers were generally quite savvy with regard to what epidemics and health issues are happening in the countries we planned to visit. International travelers are usually vaccinated against many more diseases than the average person and we know when a region has a problem, information and warnings are printed and distributed prior to arrival and again during the departure journey, presumably back to one's home country. The forms asked for details of travel, counties visited, contact with animals or agricultural levels of plants, visited farms, ranches or plantations and so forth. It also always included a warning to seek medical attention with symptoms described in the form including proper protocol like calling the CDC or equivalent in each country first, including the phone numbers.
Caution is running high. One of the more common problems with clinics, hospitals and doctors offices is infectious diseases that patients are in to have taken care of. Duh! We are aware of this but like the concept of hospital isolation, most people don't realize that isolation is for protecting the patient and rarely to protect the healthy and unhealthy on the outside. I really wish I could offer a better solution. You are sensitive to how you believe people feel or act toward you. You are also pretty brave to express your feelings about things you are sensitive about. Every dog has his day if that is any comfort. We all eventually suffer the same little indignities. My experience has been that it only takes one good face plant to soften a judging gaze.
LL
