PREPARE NOW TO SURVIVE THE FLU
Surviving the bird flu could come down to what’s in your pantry.
What, and how much.
That’s the message recently from Mike Leavitt, the secretary of Health and Human Services. He told people that if the bird flu becomes dangerous to humans, the key to survival might be being able to hole up in your home.
The bird flu will probably never materialize as a threat to human health. The odds are against it. But science and history tell us that if it’s not this flu, it will be some flu.
In the 1900s there were three flu pandemics which ravaged the globe, taking millions and millions of lives. There is no reason to believe this century will be any different. And there is no reason to take for granted the miraculous protection medical science affords us.
Less than a century ago, people around the world – especially children – were subject to countless vexatious diseases, many of which were fatal. Early cemeteries in our country and elsewhere carry stone reminders of diseases that swept through communities, sometimes wiping out entire families.
Though vaccinations, antibiotics and sanitary water and sewage systems have chased most of those diseases into near extinction, the history of humankind is clear – disease can ravage us at any time.
And the bird flu is the latest threat.
A virus found in birds, it is steadily spreading around the world. After arising in Asia, it is now in Europe and Africa and can only be expected to eventually find its way to bird populations in the Americas. That could decimate the commercial poultry business – and put a crimp in our meat supply – but it would probably only be a problem for birds.
The fear is that the virus will mutate somehow and develop the ability to become communicable from human to human or possibly from some other mammal – like our housecat – to human. The danger of that is that while most of us don’t have close contact with birds, we do have close contact with people.
And this virus seems to be very hard on people. Possibly a mortality rate of about 50 percent.
So that’s the situation. A bird disease will probably come to America. That might hurt the farmers and our food budget. If it becomes a human disease, it could kill millions of people in our country, including you and people you love.
That’s a big deal.
And the government is doing a lot to prevent it. Medical plans are being made and medical research is being pushed. Public health and hospital systems are being prepped, and medications are being stockpiled.
But there is no magic bullet.
At the end of the day, we are mortal creatures subject to the laws of nature. And there are no guarantees.
So the secretary has suggested you stockpile some food.
In the event of a human outbreak, the safest place for you and your family to be will be home. The phrase that’s being used is “social distancing.” That’s newspeak for quarantine. If people get sick, they need to be isolated from the rest of the population.
And if you want to stay healthy, you should isolate yourself from the rest of the population. Literally. Go home, close the doors and don’t come out. Not until the disease has blown through.
That might be weeks or months. Honestly. It could be three months.
You can stay inside and avoid contact with the disease, or you can go outside and take your chances. At 50 percent mortality, not many would choose to do that.
And they shouldn’t.
They should stay inside.
If it comes to that, however, most people would be ill prepared. They would not have the supplies at home they need to weather the storm. They would be compelled by hunger and other necessity to leave their homes and jeopardize themselves and others.
That’s irresponsible.
Here’s what’s responsible.
Be prepared.
It would be advisable for every American home – be it a mansion or a studio apartment – to have enough food on hand to sustain the occupants for at least two weeks. Three months would be a more comfortable margin, and some may choose to store even more.
This isn’t hoarding, this is common sense.
That’s what the federal government is saying.
And it is right.
Now, the food you store for a situation like this might be different from the food you normally shop for. To get through an emergency, you need staples, not extravagances. You don’t necessarily need your favorite foods, you just need to stay alive.
That might mean a couple of 100-pound bags of rice, or oatmeal, or beans, or even wheat. Some powdered milk and other foods. The essentials. You’re not throwing a dinner party, you’re making sure that when the epidemic passes your family is still alive.
There is no reason to panic. But there is reason for responsible, thoughtful planning. At the end of the day, you have to save yourself. And you can do that by stocking your larder. That’s what the government says. That’s what common sense says.
That’s what you ought to do.
- by Bob Lonsberry © 2006
