The Next Pandemic

[jontte]

yep,I do give credit to medicine still and hope that nothing of that type can sread like wildfire,despite that bugs have a tendency to mutate,still remember one line from world war z;nature is a serialkiller,the best,but she evidently wanna get cought,othervise what's the point of it

 

[realisticdude]

Stay clear of people and have a private water source, and wash your hands......................

 

[jontte]

saw this good documentary on discovery science about germs,looks like we are going towards a very dark future if they don't come up with new antibiotics soon and to some they don't even have a cure

 

[Brent S]

I bet the game is alkada training 101. I work in retail and am exposed to way too many people. I only hope that, not if but when, something happens that's really bad I have enough pre warning to quit! With my wife being so so weak, and her immune system being wiped out even a common bug can be really bad. I was a surgical tech so being aware of germs was drilled into us, but there's only so much you can do working with the public. Still, washing hands and not touching your nose or eyes does reduce your risk immensely. I really appreciate the customers that get really close and spit when they talk!

 

[jontte]

I hear you,customers like that are...well we have ladys here aswell so I leave it unsaid , working in publictransport gives me sometimes the creeps,all the addicts having god knows what diseace and as a bonus the illegals...yeah washing your hands all the time is a smartmove,I allways carry some extra protective gloves incase I have to give first-aid to someone.
But you Brent S has to consider youre wifes healt aswell,hope that you two can"dodge the bullet" if a pandemic will come

 

[psalm 7]

For thoes that have to get real close and want to put thier hand on your shoulder to talk . I have this facial expression that makes them take a step back then explain thier situation to me . But working with the public does expose you to risk . I been doing that for a couple of decades .

 

[Graynomad]

Stay clear of people and have a private water source

Very true. When I was working I got the obligatory cold every year, presumably from our air-conditioned office and co-workers with kids, spending time in shopping malls etc. In the last 15 years me and the missus have mostly kept to ourselves far from any towns, and I've not had a single cold in all that time.

You do the maths

 

[Silent Bob]

Typically any type of virus is dependent on several things but here are the few that I think about when I am investigating an outbreak: 1) The virus or bacteria involved 2) Incubation period of said virus/bacteria once a person is exposed 3) A susceptible host 4) Route of transmission 5) Know vehicles of transmission (example as you all have identified hand-shaking, coughing, to name a few). 6) General public awareness and whether they are using precautionary recommendations identified in PSA message.

With a Pandemic virus, the challenges are exponential and government health agencies around the world have tackled the theoretical to the inth...as I've mentioned in a previous thread the challenge will be for even say local or national health departments, how to control the whats? when? and where?. The likelihood of an airborne virus infecting the entire world is not a remote possibility, but a real possibility because of air travel today. The farther you are from a port of entry, I've named a few in previous ones, but all you have to do is google all the international port of entries for your country...and then "X" them on a map, you can then run concentric rings based on the etiology of the virus to gather a good hypothesis and time index of what precautions and level of response you need to carry out in that type of scenario. For example, when would you got to a level of just using surgical mask/faceshield to a true gas mask with filter. When would you establish your pandemic controls.

For the common cold, all of us have been taught to increase hand-washing, but how many actually do it. As Brent S indicated earlier, he works in the public, its going to be difficult to go to work with a mask on...for me, I'd advise your boss that your sick...and you don't want anyone else to get sick. Quick explanation that doesn't have to be validated and the same time you've establish some protocols from your Pandemic response checklist.

 

[Brent S]

Typically any type of virus is dependent on several things but here are the few that I think about when I am investigating an outbreak: 1) The virus or bacteria involved 2) Incubation period of said virus/bacteria once a person is exposed 3) A susceptible host 4) Route of transmission 5) Know vehicles of transmission (example as you all have identified hand-shaking, coughing, to name a few). 6) General public awareness and whether they are using precautionary recommendations identified in PSA message.

With a Pandemic virus, the challenges are exponential and government health agencies around the world have tackled the theoretical to the inth...as I've mentioned in a previous thread the challenge will be for even say local or national health departments, how to control the whats? when? and where?. The likelihood of an airborne virus infecting the entire world is not a remote possibility, but a real possibility because of air travel today. The farther you are from a port of entry, I've named a few in previous ones, but all you have to do is google all the international port of entries for your country...and then "X" them on a map, you can then run concentric rings based on the etiology of the virus to gather a good hypothesis and time index of what precautions and level of response you need to carry out in that type of scenario. For example, when would you got to a level of just using surgical mask/faceshield to a true gas mask with filter. When would you establish your pandemic controls.

For the common cold, all of us have been taught to increase hand-washing, but how many actually do it. As Brent S indicated earlier, he works in the public, its going to be difficult to go to work with a mask on...for me, I'd advise your boss that your sick...and you don't want anyone else to get sick. Quick explanation that doesn't have to be validated and the same time you've establish some protocols from your Pandemic response checklist.

The heck with calling in, anything serious and I'm quitting on the spot! I need the job and all, but what good is a paycheck if you die from a new strain of the flu!

 

[Graynomad]

I used to soldier on even when sick, but then I realised that I was not doing myself or my work mates any favours and anyway that's why they give you sick leave.

I don't work any more but if a real pandemic occurred my job would have a very low priority (it was in IT, not like anybody would miss me).

 

[Silent Bob]

The heck with calling in, anything serious and I'm quitting on the spot! I need the job and all, but what good is a paycheck if you die from a new strain of the flu!

Brent,

All is not doom and gloom and I don't want everyone to think I am alarmist. I've actually done a personal study of the efficacy of using certain well accepted protocols. Believe it or not, thorough hand washing is one of the most effective ways to prevent transmission or bringing "the bug" from the work center into the home. I remember much of our past discussion regarding your wife's health and when I think of Jim's mom, I think you both have very valid concerns.

One interesting fact not known to most western nations, is the use of masks. If you look at the SARS data from regarding incidences within the sick/well in Toronto or some of the better documented illnesses affecting Japanese populations, you start to get a good handle on what works and what doesn't. Two important revelations is the use of a mask that covers the mouth and nasal (in most cases, you have a higher incidence of exposure via these two routes, less so, but always a probability is through the eyes.

Its interesting to note, that I wore a mask during a spike period of this year flu that affected some of my students. While I was teaching in my class, my aide and I wore a N95 approved mask, we didn't get sick. Of course, I was quick to point to all my students that I was using this as a precaution not to get them sick. No issues arose from the experience and after each class period, I was quick to use a spray disinfectant. After each school day, I wiped all the desks down with Clorox wipes. Both my aide and I were fine during the two week period that we saw a high incidence of respiratory illnesses within the classroom.

It might not be a bad idea to stock up on some N-95 masks next year and using simple protocols, how this reduces the incidence of illnesses in your homestead.

 

[Warriorhealer22]

I agree with handwashing. While deployed to Bosnia (back when "peacekeeping" was all the rage) I was part of a small group who did a study of how handwashing before meals cuts down on sick call visits. It works. Keeping oneself healthy and clean will cut down on a lot of biological issues that could happen, so make sure you have a good supply of cleaning supplies in your preps!

 

[jontte]

a bar of soap or two should be there,it's easier to wash your hands than your pants if you get the runns

 

[Silent Bob]

As Warriorhealer22 stated and second by jontte, not only a bar of soap, but any type of hygienic products should be stored as part of your preps. In the long run even a bar of soap will be bartering tool.

Good to see you Warriorhealer22.

 

[Brent S]

Don't forget to not touch your eyes or nose as well. Both of these areas are easy access for viruses and bacteria.

 

[Silent Bob]

Yeah for me its an accepted rule, but I forget to mention it always in my replies. Thanks Brent for the reminder!

 

[Overlord]

Gazrok, maybe the GoblinMint is covering up hence why it just says flu now.

Am concerned of the snowball effect of the virus before people realize it is there. Since it takes about 10-14 days to show symptoms, how many people could that person have come in contact with.

Then as the virus evolves, it would speed up the infection rate and the showing of symptoms resulting in large numbers of incapacitated people.

We just simply wake up to a Wham, Bang, Thank You Mam (or should I say MeRS)! It is at your doorstep.

Be Safe Everyone... We all don't know what is out there... Ebola in Africa, MERS spreading to Asia and the US, Avian variants in China (oops, not an issue on that one hehehe)

 

[jontte]

related to this thread,did watch on discovery a great program abt 10 worst viruses...sometimes you feel lucky living in a tempered climate zone,most of those goddies likes hot and humid

 

[Silent Bob]

related to this thread,did watch on discovery a great program abt 10 worst viruses...sometimes you feel lucky living in a tempered climate zone,most of those goddies likes hot and humid

Lol, only if you guys knew what rolls in my head at night. You'd never sleep! Lol.

Overlord has a point about sentinels and also incubation times, hence why I encourage people who are that concerned about it. Keep looking at either the WHO or CDC live wire, they post it just about each day with updates on current pandemic statistical data. Your going to see a sharp spike in reporting, if it runs into a quick event.

As for the Ebola virus, its burning itself out, like it always does, through proper education of locals and increased vigilance by health care workers. As in the early days of the recent epicenters, health care workers were some of the folks that were exposed and became cases. Now that other countries have responded and we have knowledgeable people on the ground dealing with the epidemiology of the virus/how it was spread, they have now started to see a reduction in new cases. The real concern would be for a virus that we can control through good epidemiology work and current treatment/protocol standards. In that case, I would encourage you to invest in some protective gear, its fairly cheap and it doesn't have a shelf-life like Rx. Simple things like gloves, gowns, etc, help reduce exposure and if properly handled as a biohazard and destroyed through burning, you reduce the chances of exposure. For those not sure, we discussed this in another thread. Good comments made by all.

http://www.doomsdayprepperforums.co...-flu-kit-and-what-you-can-do-to-prepare.3894/

I've included my checklist.

 

[Gazrok]

I'm not going to go out and get hazmat suits for all, but yeah, we do stock gloves, masks, goggles, gowns, and booties. Mostly, if we're dealing with a sick animal, for example, we don't want to transmit to another...so quarantine procedure. Luckily, that is rarely an issue.