/tshirtpicsc_011.thumb.jpg)
That cain't be good!
Great work to find and put this together. It's unnerving. Please keep this thread posted with your research. Does the H5N1 have to become an H2H variant to make human to human transmission possible? - OB1
Posted on 03/13/2006 10:10:32 AM PST by blam
What You Should Do to Prepare for an Epidemic
Stock Up on Essentials and Have an 'Outbreak Plan'
How To Protect Yourself
Bird Flu
How Would You Know If You Had Avian Flu?
A Bit of Context on the Bird Flu Threat
How To Protect Yourself
By LARA SETRAKIAN
March 12, 2006 — Will there be an outbreak of avian flu that threatens humans? Many experts disagree on when or if a human pandemic will occur, but do say there is a chance that the virus could mutate, leading to widespread infection. In that case, the best thing you and your family can do right now is to prepare for that possibility.
Here's what you need to know to help keep yourself healthy.
Stock up on Essentials
If there is an avian flu pandemic, you'll want to minimize your chance of catching it by staying indoors; you might even be required to stay home if the government asks that people remain in quarantine or "shelter in place." Stocking up today on at least seven days' worth of essentials such as water, nonperishable food, emergency and medical supplies will help you get through an extended time at home if an outbreak happens. Once you've purchased these items, store them in a place where you will not be tempted to dip into them for everyday use. See the checklist below for guidelines on what and how much you need.
Have an Outbreak Plan
It may feel odd or uncomfortable to talk to family members and loved ones about the worst-case pandemic scenario. But if that scenario strikes, you'll all be much better off if you have a plan decided on and ready. Talk with your friends and family about how you'd respond to an epidemic. Figure out how you would care for them and what your first response and responsibilities would be; this is an especially important conversation to have with those with special care needs. Get involved with local groups and community efforts aimed at preparing for a pandemic. If your community has no program in place yet, find out how you and your neighbors can get one started.
Pick up the Habits of Healthy Behavior
The habits that can help keep you healthy in an outbreak are the same good health habits that can keep you from catching the common cold: maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly and get sufficient rest. Particularly in a flu outbreak situation, it will be important to wash your hands thoroughly and often, reminding loved ones — especially children — to do the same. Be diligent about covering coughs and sneezes with tissues, teaching any children in your family to do the same. Also teach children to stay away from others as much as possible if they are sick and stay home from work or school if you are sick.
Know Your Emergency Contacts and Information Compile the phone numbers you'd need in case of the emergency, keeping the list somewhere safe and visible. Make sure everyone in your household knows where to find it. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, you should include information for:
Local and out-of-town personal emergency contacts
Hospitals near your work, home and school
Family physician
Your state public health department (full list at www.cdc.gov/other.htm#states)
Pharmacy
Employer contact and emergency information
School contact and emergency information
Religious/spiritual organization
Also, know your essential health information such as blood type, allergies, past or current medical conditions, and current medications and their dosages. Make a list of that essential information for all the members of your household. Keep that list safe and make sure everyone in your household knows where it is.
HHS has sample sheets that you can print out and fill in with all your essential contact and health information.
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/planguide/InformationSheet.pdf
What Else Will I Need
Make sure you have:
Food and nonperishable items, such as ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables, and soups, protein or fruit bars, dry cereal or granola, peanut butter or nuts, dried fruit, crackers, canned juices, bottled water, canned or jarred baby food and formula, and pet food.
Medical and practical items, such as prescriptions drugs and medical supplies such as glucose and blood-pressure monitoring equipment, soap and water, or alcohol-based hand wash, medicines for fever, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, thermometer, anti-diarrheal medication, vitamins, fluids with electrolytes, cleansing agent/soap, flashlight, batteries, portable radio, manual can opener, garbage bags and tissues, toilet paper, and disposable diapers.
Source: the Department of Health and Human Services
-12? Ouch. Poor things. You probably can't see them moving around because their poor little feet are probably frozen stuck to the tree branch. 65 here.......but having to dodge tornadoes every few days.
Yeah, a pandemic's all fun and games until it mutates into a Zombie Plague, and then all of a sudden it's not so funny anymore.
bump
India NewS
Posted on 04 Mar 2006
Nasik: To create awareness among the people and to dispel fears of bird flu from their minds, a three-day chicken festival has been organized in Nasik.
Through the festival, the organizers want to send across the message to the people that consumption of chicken is risk free as the flu is limited within 3 km of Navapur.
“We appeal to all common people that they should enjoy chicken and eggs. Do not fear about bird flu. It is at 3 km area of Navapur. The rest of India and Maharashtra is bird flu free,” said Udhav Aahare, Chairman, District Poultry Association, Nasik.
Doctors have also given a clean chit to the consumers and have asked them to be fearless.
“For a common consumer who is a routine chicken consumer, he should not be bothered about chicken convention. He can start his routine chicken convention. There is no risk at all involved,” said Dr. S. V. Deshpande, a Veterinary doctor.
People came in large numbers to relish the chicken cuisine. On this festival, 2000 kg of chicken biryani is being cooked and is served to the people gratis.
Nasik has around 2500 small and big chicken farms.
T/D note: Ok, that article was dated the 4th of March....it is now 10 days later...oops the contagious period for H5N1.... now read on.....
Fever hits 2,000 in Malegaon
Wednesday, March 15, 2006 21:33 IST
NASHIK: Over 1,000 people, including women and children, were admitted to government and private hospitals in the powerloom town of Malegaon in the district following complaints of fever, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Another 1,000 people are said to be affected too.
Malegaon Municipal Corporation Medical Officer Dr Hasonoddin Shaikh said that MMC health squad was fully geared up to provide treatment to the patients, who were admitted following complaints of "high temperature and joint pains".
"The condition of all the patients was stable," Shaikh added.
"We have collected blood samples of all the patients for examinations and report of it was awaited," he added.
http://dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1018134 http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=20590
T/D Note: Then there is THIS little jewel....
Solapur, March 14: OVER 300 people in Kumthe village on the outskirts of Solapur, who have been complaining of headache and bodyache in the last two days, seem to be suffering from a viral fever. Most villagers are labourers and work in factories and fields.
Some patients have been admitted to Kumthe’s primary healthcare centre and to private hospitals in the city for treatment. District health officer Dr Satteshwar Patil, who rushed to the village on Tuesday with a team of six doctors, examined the patients. “We collected blood samples and sent them to Pune for tests. Based on the symptoms, all I can say now is that it is a viral fever,” he said. <>p> http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=173811
Looks like India may be the start of the H2H variant...
Semper Intell
That cain't be good!
Great work to find and put this together. It's unnerving. Please keep this thread posted with your research. Does the H5N1 have to become an H2H variant to make human to human transmission possible? - OB1
My father was a cop in South Florida and he took me down to the beach where the troops were landing, ala Normandy. Still have the photo of me holding a BAR and looking tough next to an 82nd Airborne troopie.
India bird flu cases 'positive'
BBC
The authorities in the western Indian state of Maharashtra say they have identified four cases of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain.
Tests on poultry from the state's Jalgaon district have returned positive results, the local administrative head, Vijay Singhal, told the BBC.
Over 70,000 chickens in the region are to be slaughtered, officials say.
Hundreds of thousands of birds were destroyed in Maharashtra after India's first bird flu outbreak last month.
The virus later spread to some poultry farms in the neighbouring Gujarat state.
There have still been no reported cases of the virus in humans in India - 95 samples collected from people with flu-like symptoms last month tested negative for bird flu.
The fresh cases have been detected in poultry in four villages of Jalgaon district, federal farm minister Sharad Pawar told parliament on Tuesday.
"We are dealing with the situation on a war footing," Mr Singhal said.
Sixty teams have been deployed in the villages to begin the mass slaughter of chickens.
Farmers are to be paid 40 rupees (almost a dollar) in compensation for each bird.
Medical teams will also be sent to the villages and their surrounding areas on Thursday to carry out checks and treat anyone suspected to be infected with the bird flu virus.
Sales fall
The detection of bird flu in India last month led to sharp falls in the sale of poultry and poultry products.
India's parliament, military, railways and major airlines temporarily stopped serving chicken and eggs, despite government reassurances that they were safe to eat if cooked properly.
The virus does not at present pose a large-scale threat to humans, as it cannot pass easily from one person to another.
However since 2004 about 100 people have died of the H5N1 strain - most of then in South-East Asia.
Experts fear the virus could mutate to gain this ability, and in its new form trigger a flu pandemic, potentially putting millions of human lives at risk.
Paper money is one of the filthiest things in the world. Coins too. I've read you can culture tons of nasty stuff off of money. Ever notice how money, especially paper, stinks? It's important to wash hands after touching money even without H5N1 all over it.
We've been cold this week (lows in the -40's to -50). My birds are still coming out everyday to feast at my Birdy Buffets. Plenty of chickadees but I haven't seen the greyjays in a week now. I've been worried these past few weeks about my nightly buddy, Rocky the flying squirrel, but he has shown up the last few evenings in time for me to see him before going to bed.
I wonder if future "chicken festivals" have been put on hold for now? ;-)
Excerpt: "Sandman argues that it’s hard to rouse folks from their usual day-to-day routine to prepare for a new threat without also triggering alarm. Besides, a little bit of panic helps folks prepare emotionally for what the future may hold. It’s a necessary kind of "adjustment reaction," he says, that allows folks to think about what they can and cannot do, so that when the crisis comes they don’t just dissolve into despair and inaction...."
A good article to stimulate thinking of the broad impacts such a pandemic could cause.
If anyone wants on/off this Avian/bird influenza ping list, please FReepmail me. - OB1
In all reality, there is not a damn thing I can do, except keep living day to day. I am in no place to affect a pandemic one way or the other.
OooooooK!
What Else Will I Need
Make sure you have:
Firearms and ammo.
Thank you for the ping, I had not noticed this article when it was posted.
You're most welcome. - OB1
You misunderstood. Sigh.
I already do all the stuff mentioned above. What I meant to say was I work in a lab (non biological) and have no choice but to do so (if I want to keep eating).
And even though I wash my hands religiously, (and use a hand sterilizer all the time), Lysol my work area regularly (phones keyboards, mice, desk, consoles, doors), etc. I got a really bad case of pneumonia this Jan anyway. Darn it!
Sorry, but I had a frat brother who got totally sloshed one night. When he got the munchies, he found a No. 10 can of sauerkraut, opened it, and ate it while continuing to swill massive quantities of beer. He got so sick that he barfed his guts out and was pulling sauerkraut out of his nose. Sauerkraut was thenceforth banned from the frat house.
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.