The new strain of flu that has struck Mexico has got a lot of people very worried. There is no current vaccine for it and it has a significant mortality rate although the US cases do not seem to be having that high rate. Most readers of this blog are already preparing to be self sufficient during a crisis but it doesn’t hurt to re- evaluate how your family would respond to this threat should it spread to your local.
The first thing to keep in mind is that, with travel as easy as it is, by the time flu cases are documnented, it its too late to think preparedness. You should be thinking about how to stay at home. You want to avoid high concentration of people such as your local supermarket. Doctor’s offices and hospitals should be avoided unless it is a true emergency as many people will seek medical care when they experience symptoms making this a primary source of infection. Painters masks will provide very little protection as the virus can easily enter around the loose edges. Surgical masks are designed to protect the patient from the doctor’s germs and will be only marginally effective as well. Check with a doctor or pharmacist about obtaining appropriate masks if that is what you want to do. If you work in critical areas such as health and safety infrastructure, you will have to weigh your responsibility to your family and consider renting a room to avoid exposing them.
In addition to having food and water for you and your family and your animals, you should have a good medical kit. Be sure to stock some oral re-hydration therapy. In the powder form, it is inexpensive and stores well. If someone has a high temperature and coupled with vomiting and/or diarrhea, they can dehydrate quickly. This is especially important to watch with children. It is possible to make a re-hydration solution but I would rather have the powder form on hand. Some over-the-counter remedies for coughs and fever are good to have on hand. Those should already be stored. Now is a good time to check the use-by date and discard any old medication.
Be sure you have adequate stores of bottled juices, gelatin and canned soups as these are often the food of choice when one is ill.
Do consider how you will entertain your children if they can’t go to school for several weeks. Having some workbooks and reading materials will enable you to school at home if necessary. A good supply of paper, crayons and other art supplies is a good idea as are board games, cards and craft kits. Be sure to lay in a supply of reading material for yourself.
Take care of your health in order to have the strongest possible immune system. Wash your hands well and often with running water and soap, especially after using the bathroom and after leaving a public place. I wipe the handle of shopping carts with a disinfectant wipe before I touch one. If you smoke, stop. Add a multivitamin to you daily regime but be sure to eat a healthy diet. This flu will probably run it’s course without disrupting your life too much but preparing for the big pandemic that the CDC is prediction is a prudent thing to do.
April 28, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Sorry I have to ask this, but can you get the Swine Flu from raising backyard pigs? I’m expecting 2 piglets within a week, and all the concerned family and friends are telling me to forget it. I’m not one to give in to that, but I need the truth to tell them why it isn’t a concern. It’s hard when the media is now raising the question if US pork is safe to eat. Why on earth would that be a problem? I think we should all be prepared no matter what, but if the media was truly concerned, they would be giving people practical information instead of all the scare tactics.
April 28, 2009 at 1:01 pm
It is a good and legitimate question and I don’t have the answer. My guess would be probably but I think backyard animals are far less likely to be infected than feedlot animals. The truth is that there is some danger to everything. Burning wood could burn down your house. You might get avian flu from your chickens. You might have a serious allergy to a bee sting. But you still have to live. I would not hesitate to welcome my little piggies although I would be dilegent about hygene.
April 29, 2009 at 8:42 am
I thought I would share some information from the Massachusetts Dept. of Health that came home from school yesterday about Swine Flu.
1. You cannot get swine flu from eating pork. Of course, always properly handle and cook pork products.
2. It is remotely possible to get swine flu from pigs: “Most commonly, human cases of swine flu happen in people who are around pigs…” But according to the Jim Lehrer news hour report, the pig needs to be sick with a certain strain of flu, then it needs to mutate to this specific strain of flu that is passable to humans.
I think the moral of the story is to avoid holding, hugging, kissing, or shaking hands with any pig that has a cold or flu!!!
April 29, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Great advice, Kathy. It’s interesting, I learned recently that on pig farms, when the humans get the flu, the pigs do, too, and vice versa. The fat tissue is so similar between humans and pigs that bugs seem to transfer easily.
Sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade are excellent for replenishing electrolytes into the system. Instead of taking the vaccine, there are great homeopathic options that had great results with the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic. http://tinyurl.com/cfqeog
April 29, 2009 at 6:37 pm
I have seen a number of homeopathic flu remedies. I so wish that mainstream medicine would give out handouts that outlined herbal and homeopathic interventions in addition to anti-virals. Not everybody has health insurance or access to a doctor. I know that if I was sick, I would want to avoid doctor’s offices if I could.