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JasonRashall

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Apr 20, 2016
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Hello all, my name is Jason and this is my first post here. I made an account in order to ask a question, namely, if someone was to stay in a shelter for an extended amount of time (a few years), would anything happen to their immune system? Since they're in a shelter for that long, it's probable that they're filtering/sterilizing the air and water, and have no contact with the outside world. Therefore, since they don't have exposure to ANY new viruses/fungus/etc. would they get sick after leaving? Would their immune system recover? What could be done to prevent this? I think about end of humanity a lot and this is one of the questions I haven't been able to solve, so any input would be appreciated.
 
Howdy Jason, from way out in west Tx. It's unlikely ( very unlikely ) that anyone would be confined to their shelter for that long. And if they were, they would most probably have bigger problems than that. Lots of factors to consider in thinking about possible immuno-deficiencies .......diet, vitamins, vermin, etc. I have not given that particular scenario much thought, since I don't envision it as something that will happen. I try to prepare for more likely scenarios. But, you're on the right track! Thinking ahead and being ready is exactly what we try to do here. Good luck in your endeavors!
 
welcome from over here too :)

would say that being that long in a shelter,the main problem would be located between your two ears first,that would be hugely stressful to you.
but create perhaps a thread about this?
 
howdy from a Texan .... and welcome to the forum and family...there's quiet a few knowledgeable folks here that'll gladly tell ya what you need to know,or at least point ya in the right direction and/or give ya a good idea or 2..and by all means jump right on in with any replies you have on a topic.and start new topics if/when needed...

rob and jontte made good points.starting a new thread on the subject of someone staying in a shelter for an extended amount of time,and the immune system.will get quiet a few good reply's.
 
Welcome.

First off, even in the case of nuclear war, it's doubtful you'd have to stay in your shelter for more than a few weeks. I know, I know the common myth is years, but do the actual research. Unless you're near ground zero of a major target, 2 weeks is the recommendation (even was back in the days of duck and cover). Today's nukes are smaller than those during the Cold War, for starters, and airburst means less fallout. (vs. the older, impact models).

However, your immune system is what it is. It doesn't just "forget". I'd put this worry nearly off the list.

Your bigger concerns for a long shelter stay:

1. Can you keep disposing of your garbage?
2. Can you keep disposing of your human waste?
3. Can you keep clean water?
4. Can you keep clean air?
5. Do you have enough food?
6. Do you have a way to isolate someone who is ill?

Not to downplay the effect of a nuclear war, but the idea of nuclear winter, and long shelter stays, are still largely up for debate.
 
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Thanks for all the welcomes and the replies Which subforum would be best for this? I looked and couldn't decide. The reason for my posting of this is because of a pet project I've been working on. It's not really something that I plan on doing, but I enjoy testing scenarios and thought this one would be fun. More details to come in an actual forum post.

Jason
 
Thanks for all the welcomes and the replies Which subforum would be best for this? I looked and couldn't decide. The reason for my posting of this is because of a pet project I've been working on. It's not really something that I plan on doing, but I enjoy testing scenarios and thought this one would be fun. More details to come in an actual forum post.

Jason
Welcome Jason. I actually built a shelter/root cellar. The only time I ever plan to stay in it is during a tornado. It is close to storm proof, but dosent seem like a good place to hang out for long. I don't doubt that your body would not have a resistance to the newest strain of the flu or other similar things, but as Gazrok pointed out, I think there would be many other things to worry about above this. I really like fun scenarios like this though, as it keeps us thinking about different aspects of prepping. My first thought about the issue is what could be so bad to keep you underground for years?
 
Let me explain. I've always been fascinated with underground shelters ever since I was a child. I even dug a 10 x 10 hole and covered the top with wood to make a clubhouse with my friends in elementary/middle school. A few months ago my friend (one of the ones who helped me with the "clubhouse") and I were talking about possible ways the world might take a turn for the worse and we got to talking about underground shelters. We spent hours discussing the most extreme cases and as we did I decided it would be fun to design an extended stay shelter. And when I say extend, I mean extended. I ended up designing a pretty expansive shelter with enough storage space to last around 100 years with four people living inside.

100 years? I know what you're thinking, that's a long time and nobody will ever need to stay in hiding for so long. I know this, but I still really enjoy designing the shelter and problem solving the foreseeable problems that may arise. The shelter was actually designed with the idea that once whatever "happened" to cause the use of the shelter occurred, the subjects inside would not leave unless absolutely necessary. Which of course means the "shelter" had become a "home" of sorts, in theory of course.

There are, however, situations where this kind of shelter may be necessary and I will briefly go over some of these for those that need a real world application to take this kind of speculation seriously. Feel free to skip this paragraph if you are not one of those people. One situation is world famine. A few ways this could occur is extinction/extreme declination in bee populations, global warming, or by the simple exponential rate that the world's population is rising. This would cause a lack of food that may create civil disruptions or war and would certainly cause mass starvation. A hidden shelter stocked with food would then become a nice asset to have, especially considering the fact that many people would forcible take the supplies if it wasn't hidden (underground). Another situation that may occur is a super virus/infectious disease. With antibiotics being prescribed for trivial things, bacteria are acquiring drug resistances at an alarming rate. If something were to evolve that we had no way to vaccinate against or cure, there would be massive death. Think the Spanish flu on a larger level (killed 50-100 million people in 1918). This would create a situation where total biological isolation would be very beneficial. There are more situations that I've thought of, but you get the idea.

However you look at it, know that this is mostly a hypothetical and I don't particularly care to hear naysayer over the whole idea unless there's a fundamental fact that I may have overlooked that would effectively ruin my project. I will, of course, take constructive criticism over the general idea or any aspect of the plan. Perhaps in years to come some rich person may utilize my designs as their backup.

In response to Gazrok, all of those questions have been considered and are effectively solved in my plan, and your insight on the immune system's "memory" so to speak helped to alleviate the concerns I had, so I thank you greatly! :)

If anybody is interested in specifics of my plans, I'll make a forum post with everything I have for critiquing by the experts (you guys).

Also, I've been looking at a few other posts on here and I'm really enjoying reading about other people's ideas and seeing what they've accomplished.

(EDIT) Looking back at this I realize it may come off a bit rude when saying I don't want any naysayers etc. All I meant by all that was that I would prefer constructive criticism over people just shooting the whole idea down as unrealistic, but always feel free to voice any concerns. Thanks for all the replies1

Jason
 
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Wow, I just read your comments above. I was just about to share my thoughts on your first question regarding immune system concern. Good luck.
 

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