Pandemic preparations

[fuji]

It increasingly looks like the H1N1 flu going around now, while it may become a pandemic, is not going to be a *killer* pandemic. Most people who get it appear to get a mild case and recover--so perhaps THIS time it's not so bad.

The whole thing, though, made me aware that I am not really well prepared for The Big One, when it does eventually hit.

How should the average person prepare for the pandemic? I suppose this should fit in with disaster planning in general.

I am going to do some simple things to prepare: I am going to acquire some N95 masks, I am going to keep a big water-cooler bottle of water around, and some dried/canned foods. I've acquired a full first aid kit. I am debating going to Mountain Co-Op and buying one of those portable, hand-held water filters.

The City of Toronto recommends you have a three day supply of food and water on hand in case of emergency. I am going to keep a seven day supply on hand.

I am not going to order my own supply of tamiflu and I am not going to stock up on antibiotics. The cost of doing that is dramatically higher than the above... but maybe I should.

Thoughts?

 

[Liquid Snake]

I'm going to stock up on extra gasoline for my pickup truck, and I just bought a new pump action shotgun. When those people that died from the swine flu turn into zombies and try to get me, I'll stop them dead in their tracks.

 

[tboy]

I'm going to stock up on extra gasoline for my pickup truck, and I just bought a new pump action shotgun. When those people that died from the swine flu turn into zombies and try to get me, I'll stop them dead in their tracks.

Oh man, here we go.....wow, pandemic? Canada has what, 35 cases so far? BFD. On average 8,000 people DIE each year from the regular flu, that's 666 per month and no one is expected to die from THIS flu.

So fuji, do you stock up every year? You should because you run more risk of contracting the regular flu than this one. In fact, a virologist on the radio said that this strain actually won't be as bad as the regular flu in so far as we won't get the severe backaches normally associated with flu.

On Bill Maher's show last night he stated: typically 13,000 people have died from the regular flu so far this year and they have what, 3700 reported cases with ONE death?

Come on people, this isn't the black plague.......

 

[benstt]

Oh man, here we go.....wow, pandemic? Canada has what, 35 cases so far? BFD. On average 8,000 people DIE each year from the regular flu, that's 666 per month and no one is expected to die from THIS flu.
.

We do put on a big effort for the regular flu - flu shots, etc, and each one of those start out somewhere as a new strain somewhere. Even if people don't get the flu shot, many others around them do, helping limit the spread rates for those strains.

This strain is not covered by the flu shots.

The point is not how many cases they have now, but how transmissable it is and how severe it is. If we make a big noise, and this dies out, thus missing a number of preventable deaths, I'm all for it. It seemed severe in Mexico, and the are watching how transmissable it is carefully.

 

[fuji]

It increasingly looks like the H1N1 flu going around now, while it may become a pandemic, is not going to be a *killer* pandemic. Most people who get it appear to get a mild case and recover--so perhaps THIS time it's not so bad.

So, tboy, I have a question for you:

How do you manage to use the internet, given that you can't read?

 

[fuji]

no one is expected to die from THIS flu.

What's your source? I think you are making that up.

On Bill Maher's show last night he stated: typically 13,000 people have died from the regular flu so far this year and they have what, 3700 reported cases with ONE death?

Maybe you should not watch the Bill Maher show anymore. Latest count is 4100 cases and 101 deaths, so it's killing only about 2% of the people who get it--but your numbers and your information are clearly wrong and if the source was the Maher show then this would be a good reason not to watch the Maher show anymore.

The question I asked on this thread is what one should do to prepare for the killer pandemic when it comes. I did not say this was the killer pandemic--I said this situation made me think about it.

 

[LKD]

jeez why is everyone blowing this out of proportion..... More people will die from swine flu vaccine than from swine flue itself.

what's up with these stupid muslim countries like egypt ordering the slaughter of the country's 300,000 pigs even though no cases have been reported there... same shit happening in Iraq.

here's what I got my kid to do today :/

http://articles.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2009/April/swine-flu-pig.JPG

 

[hamermill]

I am selling life insurance to anyone that dies as a result of that strain of the flu.

Come people this is so blown out of proportion it is almost laughable.

 

[tboy]

I am selling life insurance to anyone that dies as a result of that strain of the flu.

Come people this is so blown out of proportion it is almost laughable.

Exactly.

Well, the show could have been taped 3 or 4 days ago and if 101 people have died from it, BFD. They probably would have died had they caught the regular flu. Never mind the 101, what about the 13,000 who have died this year (so far) from the regular flu?

As for preparing for the pandemic? I'm not doing a damn thing because I am also not preparing for the meteor/asteroid, nuclear war, armegeddon, the fall of civilization, or riots in the streets.

Oh, and I'm not going to buy any masks or wear the ones I have. That's just ludicrous......

 

[tboy]

Hamermill and tboy, you are absolutely right. That's all oxshit. How many people die from regular flu every year?

8,000....in Canada.

In the US in 2001 63730 people died due to the regular flu....and no one panics over THAT.

 

[tboy]

Thank you. You proved the point. Let's leave car accidents, heart attacks, strokes, cancer, malaria, drug-resistant tuberculosis etc. aside for now.

During Obama's speech the other night I don't know why he didn't mention the stats of the regular flu when he spoke about the billion dollars they are spending to stop/fight this pandemic.......you know, the next time I'm in line somewhere I'm going to start coughing uncontrollably....then walk right up to the cashier as everyone runs for cover lol.....

 

[a 1 player]

Pandemic influenza's occur on a somewhat regular basis, sometimes they kill a lot of people, sometimes not.

I will take reasonable precautions, (like not traveling to hot spots), but I will not let it affect my life until I see people falling around me.

and really, who does NOT have three days of food on hand?

 

[stang]

I hear that if things get bad enough the clubs may make plans to clean their washrooms.

 

[good to go]

Just another ploy to take down the economy in order to suck more money from us. This is complete bullshit, yes people have died but come on now.

 

[fuji]

Well, the show could have been taped 3 or 4 days ago and if 101 people have died from it, BFD. They probably would have died had they caught the regular flu. Never mind the 101, what about the 13,000 who have died this year (so far) from the regular flu?

Nope, wrong again. Go do your homework. That is PRECISELY why this flu is worrying people. The people it has killed so far are NOT the people who would be killed by an ordinary flu.

The 13k who are killed by an ordinary flu tend to be the sick and the elderly--people who are already weak, and the flu comes along and pushes them over the edge.

Overwhelmingly the people this flu has killed so far were all in perfect health, between 20 and 50 years old. In fact the evidence is that this new flu shares some genetic material with a flu that circulated 50-60 years ago and as a result people in their 60's and older are more resistant to it than younger people.

As for preparing for the pandemic? I'm not doing a damn thing because I am also not preparing for the meteor/asteroid, nuclear war, armegeddon, the fall of civilization, or riots in the streets.

The odds that any of those other things will happen is very low. It's a virtual certainty that there will be a killer pandemic at some point--unless between now and then we have some sort of medical breakthrough that is nowhere in sight.

 

[fuji]

and really, who does NOT have three days of food on hand?

Water is the thing most people probably don't have a three day supply of on hand; and some people might not have a three day supply of food that can be prepared without heat or running water.

 

[amber-jade]

copy/paste but worth the read

Interestingly, just last month Sanofi-aventis, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, announced the signing of an agreement with the Mexican authorities to build a 100 million euro facility to manufacture influenza vaccine in Mexico.

Coincidence? After all, relative to the entire human population, the demand for vaccines is very low. With a worldwide pandemic however, millions would likely be scared into accepting vaccination.


http://www.sott.net/articles/show/1...stracts-as-the-World-Government-Picks-a-Fight





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[iprint]

conspiracy theories

Interestingly, just last month Sanofi-aventis, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, announced the signing of an agreement with the Mexican authorities to build a 100 million euro facility to manufacture influenza vaccine in Mexico.

Coincidence? After all, relative to the entire human population, the demand for vaccines is very low. With a worldwide pandemic however, millions would likely be scared into accepting vaccination.


http://www.sott.net/articles/show/1...stracts-as-the-World-Government-Picks-a-Fight.

I love conspiracy theories but the only thing wrong with this one is that the plant is not built yet so Mexico will not benefit from the demand right now, unless Sanofi-events was threatening to pull out of the deal.. i wonder

 

[snowleopard]

I wouldn't worry too much fuji ... unless you start to grow one of these ...

then you might want to stock up on some extra swine slime ...