Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 15 2 2023 04 18 181 188 Hiba Sami Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India Safiya Firoze Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India Parvez Khan Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India Nazish Fatima Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India Haris Khan Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India 2022 11 17 2023 02 25 Background and Objectives: There are conflicting views regarding face mask guidelines amongst healthcare staff to prevent transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), influenza and other respiratory viral infections (RVIs). We conducted a thorough meta-analysis to statistically compare mask use versus no mask use efficacy for RVIs in healthcare settings. Materials and Methods: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were used for selecting researches published between 2003 and June 2022 from different databases, including Publisher Medline (PubMed), Web of Science, etc.; 6 studies qualified for inclusion. Data was pooled from in vivo randomized control, case-control and observational studies dealing with the relationship between face mask use and no use by patients or health personnel and RVI prevention in healthcare setups. Results: The fixed and random-effects model was carried out to determine pooled odds ratios (ORs) and their respective 95 percent confidence intervals (CIs). The results revealed that wearing a face mask significantly reduced the risk of contracting a respiratory viral illness in hospital settings, with pooled OR (95% CI) of 0.11 (0.04 to 0.33) (probability value (P) <0.08). Conclusion: Masks largely succeeded in stopping respiratory virus transmission, as evidenced by the meta-analysis of 6 studies (a total of 927 individuals). https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/3995 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/3995/1556