Posted on 08/20/2010 11:28:27 AM PDT by djf
As part of ongoing efforts of some FReepers to help people prepare, I figured this is good info.
Let's start with a simple question:
What is the biggest cause of infant mortality worldwide?
A) Accidents B) Malaria C) Aids D) None of the above
The answer is D. None of the above.
The worldwide number one cause of death in infants is diarrhea. This causes dehydration and can lead to convulsions, kidney failure, blindness, and coma.
Diarrhea is also a very significant problem in adults, especially in third world countries where access to potable, clean water supplies is limited or nonexistent.
The culprit? A disease, a bacteria, that has probably over the history of man killed way, way more than all who have ever died in wars or famines. Vibrio cholerae, or cholera
Do not FOR A SECOND think that it can't or won't happen in the US. A one week general power outage no matter what the cause, and you would start to see these things.
Now there are effective antibiotic treatments for cholera, it responds very well to tetracycline, for example. But there is a cheaper and more accessible method that has come into use over the last few decades that has saved literally probably 100 million lives. It is ORT, or Oral Rehydration Therapy.
Thing is if you keep the body from getting dehydrated, your own immune system and bowels will be able to overcome the cholera infection. Oral rehydration therapy effectively allows/helps you to live long enough to get rid of the bug!
And it's easy to make! But to be effective, it MUST be made at the proper ratio. Anything else, missing ingredients or improper ratios will just go through you like, well, crap through a goose! And you won't get better, you might even get worse.
You need:
1 Litre (abt 5 cups) of clean, sterile water. If you have any doubts about the water, simply boil it and let it cool before using.
1 level teaspoon of salt.
8 level teaspoons of sugar
Mix all ingredients and make sure it's all dissolved.
From the articles I've been reading, it seems that the best approach is to try to administer about 1 cup per hour for as long as it takes to get some improvements. Be ready to be persistent the first few times because vomiting is one of the things that go along with cholera/dehydration.
I am not sure, but some of the national drugstore/retail outfits may have pre-packaged ORT you can buy.
So that's about it! Any FReepers who have additional info about ORT mixing/using/availability, please post away!
In view of the cholera outbreak in Haiti, I’m pinging this one.
How long would tap water last in those containers and would it eventually need to be filtered before drinking?
“I don’t mean to mock or heckle because I don’t want to be guilty of encouraging people not to prepare.”
I’ve hardly begun to prepare because my sons think I’m entirely over reacting when I even mention doing so. At the same time, as a mother, I do feel it is my responsibility to prepare as best I can, ESPECIALLY since they won’t. What to do in the catch 22....am thinking I need to trust my gut and do it anyway....who cares if I go to my grave the crazy, paranoid one in the family ;)
If you are on a municipal water supply where they chlorinate the water, I would guess it could last basically forever.
As always, if you have any questions about the water, boil it first.
Heck I’ve opened up and drank water from gatorade bottles that stored ten years ago.
I’ve been a pack rat myself lately, keep extra non-perishables, keep more glass containers [plastic deteriorates], and things like that. But if Obama declares martial law, we’d probably be herded anyway [Agenda 21], and hoarding is frequently outlawed during a crisis in most countries.
The most immediate problem would be drinkable water. Tube shaped “buckets” would be needed at wells. And charcoal makes an excellent water filter [although you don’t want harmful chemicals]. Need to boil water. In warm weather, potassium is a big problem. Potassium pills are pathetic [only 1 percent].
On the other hand, bear in mind that 95% of the time, these scares are hyped up by fear mongers and commercial interests who exploit “true believers”.
We need to get more cartridges, but if things are that bad, we are likely bugging the heck out.
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