A friend of mine works as a research physician for the CDC, and specifically is working on pandemic flu preparations. This guy is as knowledgeable as one gets on this issue. I was speaking to him late last week to get his take on bird flu.
Like many of you, I was highly skeptical of the purported risk. He feels the immediate risk is moderate, but it is only a matter of time before another flu pandemic strikes. We spoke about vaccines and how time consuming production is. We spoke about gov't response - and he said you will not be able to rely on gov't to handle this adequately. He said that one should be prepared to be *isolated* for a period of weeks, as that is the only sure fire way to be safe.
Ignore these warnings at your own peril.
all kidding & mockery aside, I believe that advice is spot on.
Ramifications of the economy grinding to a halt for several weeks will make 9/11 pale. Biblical proportions.