The subject of a bird flu outbreak is becomg a widely talked about topic.
I have not gone overboard but I am take a few precautions at the house.
A few weeks ago I stored 4 gallons of fresh water for the dogs and the bunny in the garage, just in case. I am also going to order a few flashlights that do not require batteries. You just shake them. I have a small list of other things I am going to store up for an emergency.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is providing pretty good updates.
Avian influenza
BTW - you cannot browse their site with a weak stomach, some of the pictures took me surprise. Not anything horrible, just medically graphic.
I have not gone overboard but I am take a few precautions at the house.
A few weeks ago I stored 4 gallons of fresh water for the dogs and the bunny in the garage, just in case. I am also going to order a few flashlights that do not require batteries. You just shake them. I have a small list of other things I am going to store up for an emergency.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is providing pretty good updates.
Avian influenza
BTW - you cannot browse their site with a weak stomach, some of the pictures took me surprise. Not anything horrible, just medically graphic.
posted by soldierdeb at 7:56 AM
1 Comments:
BIRD FLU: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
New kinds of natural disasters loom on the horizons that are related to infectious diseases that are different than the time-based disasters we are used to. Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes wreak havoc in a few days and then we are faced with the difficult task of clean up and recovery. But with increased urbanization and crowding in third world countries, global trade, and the ease of travel we are faced with diseases that spread from animals to humans; and they are emerging as a potential threat to our collective health and safety.
The current bug-du-jour is the bird flu that has affected birds and people in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Most people have contracted the illnesses from direct contact with infected poultry or surfaces that have been contaminated by them. But there is concern about a pandemic, the global spread of this virus which humans have no immunity against since it is a new virus. This would happen if the virus develops the ability to spread easily between humans. At that point it will be difficult to contain on a global as people can transmit viral material several days before they are symptomatic.
Since 2003, outbreaks of the bird flu have been confirmed in more than 48 countries and territories, according to the World Organization for Animal Health. In late June, the World Health Organization confirmed human-to-human transmission of the bird flu in Indonesia where we are now seeing clusters of bird flu cases. Given the possibility of this potential disaster and our recent experience with Hurricane Katrina, it is clearly time to begin paying attention to disaster preparation as something we “just do”, like getting health insurance or car insurance.
Why is it important to take steps now to prepare?
There is no vaccine and no drug that has been proven to directly safeguard against the effects of the bird flu, and humans have no immunity to this strain of the flu. If it comes to our communities, it will spread quickly and we won’t have much time to take preventive measures. Funding resources from the the Federal government are mainly focused on the development of the capacity to develop vaccines using a more efficient methodology. Disaster planning is simply a good idea because you can be more confident if and when a disaster hits if you know you’ve done what you can to prepare.
What steps can we take?
• Begin disaster planning now. This includes addressing issues of food, water, understand how to prepare for situations where there may be interruptions in electricity or water delivery, etc.
• Teach healthy habits to your children such as hand washing and cough etiquette.
• Think about what it would be like spending periods of time at home (under voluntary isolation or quarantine circumstances). This includes coming up with fun activities for extended ‘rainy days,’ stockpiling children’s favorite foods, making sure games and indoor activities abound.
The more of us that are safe, the safer we’ll all be! If we begin to normalize disaster preparation in our families and neighborhood, and encourage preparation across socioeconomic groups, we will dramatically increase our chances of survival. We will have the knowledge, resources and support that will increase our confidence and resilience during disasters. And even if there is no major disaster in our community, it will feel better to live in a place that has made a commitment to work together when there is a disaster.
Verona Fonté, Ph.D.
Author of Bird Flu What To Do: Prepare To Survive
www.birdfluwhattodo.com
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