I have to take issue with this list, as it is just a general survival list for 2-3 months of a generic emergency. Instead, here are some important ideas to have that are specific for H5N1 Avian flu. And the list is generally prioritized from top to bottom.
1) Get hand sanitizer. Walgreens sells it for about $4/qt. Plan on 1 gal+ per person. Also get a few 2oz bottles: one for each person to regularly carry with, one in the ash tray of each vehicle for when you forget your bottle. And you will. Use it when out in public once before you enter a store, and once when you leave. Decontaminate contact surfaces on your automobile as well with hand sanitizer. Handles, steering wheel, etc. Regular soap and water works almost as well as hand sanitizer, and is better for visible contamination.
The optimum spread of influenza through the air is at 40F and low humidity. Higher temperature and humidity means spread is more dependent on contact contamination. Use of hand sanitizer may lower your chances of infection by as much as 60%.
2) Get home cleaning agents. If you have to clean vomit or feces, pour agent on it first, then clean up. If vomiting or diarrhea in a toilet, pour in half a cup of bleach a minute before flushing to neutralize the invisible water spray that wafts up.
3) If you’re going to wear a mask of any kind, you also need clear shop glasses, as pathogens can also gain entry via the eyes. If you wear gloves, remember that gloves get contaminated, too, and can be sanitized with hand sanitizer. Importantly, a “virus proof” mask may be unnecessary, as viruses travel inside much larger droplets of liquid.
4) At the first sign of infection, take 50,000 IU of vitamin D3 (typically sold in 1,000 IU pills, i.e. 50 pills), *unless* you are sensitive to vitamin D. A few people get queasy from as little as 3,000 IU, though most people don’t. This is a one-shot dose, that is then followed up with 3,000 IU a day. The reason is that a breakdown product of D3 tends to erode the protective coating of viruses.
5) Cold-Eeze lozenges contain zinc gluconate glycine, which unlike other zinc supplements, is readily uptaken into the mucous membranes, where it inhibits viral reproduction. It is the only form of zinc given FDA approval to say “shortens duration and severity”.
6) Room air conditioning is inferior to an open window in providing airborne pathogen reduction. A small room set aside as a “sick room” is an old technique for limiting infection in a family. An ultraviolet air sanitizer as well as a humidifier are also good ideas near any sick person, to help limit spread.
7) Leave dead animals and people to the professionals, if at all possible. Many people die in plagues because they cannot resist toying with their dead loved ones. H5N1 is unusual because of the high number of species it infects, so a family pet may become deadly as well.
8) Your best defenses are hygiene, information, common sense and self control.