How an Average Person can Prepare for a Pandemic

What is a pandemic? According to Flu.gov, a pandemic is defined as a global outbreak of disease. It’s not determined by the number of deaths, but by how quickly it spreads.

Do they happen? Pandemics do happen, as in three outbreaks of flu pandemic in the 20th century:

Spanish flu killed $40-50 million in 1918 Asian flu in 1957 killed 2 million people 1 million deaths from Hong Kong flu in 1968 What are the chances?

I don’t have a crystal ball, and there is really no way to predict when and how a pandemic can happen. Certain “tells” would be:

A new virus emerges, which means people would have little or no immunity to it The virus is easily spread to others Virus starts affecting various countries around the globe at the same time. This is not hard to imagine, given the speed of air travel. Outbreaks come in waves.

Add a single disposable N95 face mask to your wallet. They are thin and light, yet if you see mass coughing (or worse) out in public, you can don one to get you home safely: http://www.amazon.com/N95-Mask-Box-Masks-Particulate/dp/B00DY7PNXK/ref=sr_1_6?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1400482706&sr=1-6&keywords=N95+surgical+mask

Glasses (full cover if possible) are also recommended.

Natural honey. Eat a tea-spoon a day to build your immune system. Double up if you see signs of an outbreak: http://www.amazon.com/YS-Organic-Bee-Farms-Premium/dp/B000U0MTMW/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1400482822&sr=1-2&keywords=natural+honey

Carry hand sanitizer. Use it before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth (or eating): http://www.amazon.com/Purell-instant-hand-sanitizer-bottles/dp/B005KE2ZH2/ref=sr_1_5?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1400482921&sr=1-5&keywords=hand+sanitizer

Put iodine on any open wound: http://www.amazon.com/Swan-Iodine-Tincture-fl-oz/dp/B001TL0BWG/ref=sr_1_6?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1400482992&sr=1-6&keywords=iodine

Before there were IVs in hospitals, doctors would use re-hydration therapy...sugar and salt mixed with water, given orally to patient 1 gallon per day. If a virus gives you diarrhea or mass vomiting when you are unable (e.g. military quarantine) to reach a hospital, then use sugar+salt water daily. Without re-hydration, a virus can kill you. With re-hydration, you can outlive many types of virus attacks (of course, not all).

If you are ordered to remain inside your house, be sure to fill all tubs+sinks with tap water early for emergency water storage if the municipal water is cut off later. Boiling all water prior to drinking is recommended.

Use buckets outside your windows or wherever possible to collect rainwater, but consider all water impure until boiled during a military quarantine (e.g. airborne virus). A tiny pinch of bleach or chlorine or iodine per gallon (at least 8 hours prior) in addition to boiling the water would give extra security.

**IF** your only source of water is dirty or muddy water, then keep it in the same container on a shelf while you run a cloth or old shirt from it into a clean container below. Allow natural syphoning+evaporation to slowly wick through the shirt from the dirty container into the clean container (never pour!), then boil the “clean” water before drinking.

The longer that you can hold out in an outbreak before going in public, especially going out without a mask+glasses, the better.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.