When the bird flu hits I will probably get a stomach ache...have diarrhea for a couple of days then return to normal life. In the majority of cases Avian influenza is not fatal so would rarely require the kind of precautions that many of the above posters are going to.

What an ignorant comment.

No, it only has a 50% mortality rate so far...why worry? Flip a coin, live or die.
Return to work? Ya might, rabbit, ya might.

Originally posted by Thomas Crowne
No, it only has a 50% mortality rate so far...why worry? Flip a coin, live or die.
Return to work? Ya might, rabbit, ya might.

Exactly, the whole point of this is to simple be prepared. Putting together alot of the stuff described above WORKS for any natural disaster, biowarfare attack etc. Its better to be prepared than waiting for FEMA. Most of the stuff you buy for emergency prep lasts a long time and as they taught me in the Scouts...... Be Prepared

50% mortality rate is tough to get around.

I will be taking glyconutrients, eating fruits, vegetables, and immune boosting herbs, and getting excercise.

Other than that there's not a whole lot you can do.

Interesting replies from everyone and very varied responses too. I do believe we, as individuals, have the power to stay away from the bird flu and stay well throughout a pandemic. I think there is a lot to do to avoid getting sick. Staying at home with a stockpile of food to last you for however long it takes for the pandemic to die out would almost guarantee your wellness. At least stay in your home until a vaccine is readibly available. Eating foods that will boost your immune system and even a little bit of working out would help. Don't expect much help from the government as soon as the flu hits because they just aren't ready for what could happen.

Gman55 I am surprised you haven't responded to this post yet. I am curious as to what your plan is.

Well if all else fails, I hear building a ring of fire around your castle stops it..at least it did in the middle ages. It was then thought evil spirits brought it in. It was really rats but they too did not cross the ring of fire.

As for me, I'm making plenty of sauer kraut.

If there is severe unrest, we can hunker down in our house for awhile. We have solar power and an ametuer radio transmitter, so we could act as a comms center. Growing/stockpiling food would be an option as well.

I'm keeping my ears open on this thing. At the first sign that it's accellerating we're going to immediately stockpile, hopefully long before everyone else panics. (Still, that's probably not the best way to go alltogether.)

How long are we looking at being stuck in our own homes?? If a quarentine was put in place, for how long?? I always have extra food and drinks here...right now I have 50 qts of apple juice, 35 gals water, about 250+ 8oz juice/soy milk drink boxes........a chest freezer full, lots of dry foods...so really I would think my boys and I could be well fed for at least 2 months...(need more water tholugh)

Also just recently stocked up on Coconut water/juice...I LOVE coconut (my addiction) and last night I got reading and its REALLY good for you....Like mother nature's gatorade....helps lower body temp. (fevers) good for tummy problems....I think I need more!! There is just something about beverages, I have this weird thing I always have to have a lot stocked up...Juice, water, soy milk...The kids are always drinking them, I'm always keeping the supply up....I also do a BUNCH of sprouting and growing greens, so I have tons of seeds.

I dont know what I would do than just stick it out at home....I worry more about things like this because of having 2 boys (4 and 7) Being the only one raising them, I KNOW it is JUST me who is responsable for their well being and I dont want to make any wrong decisions...Anyways, If we had to stay put for a couple months we would be fine...I work from home so its not like I would miss work and risk being fired, the only thing is when to pull my 7 yr old out of school, without looking like a crazy person...

Omny - first off what a cute avatar you have!

Secondly, I think that we would have ample warning should a quarantine be announced. It's not going to affect everyone at the same time so if town A begins a quarantine most likely it will be on the news and that should be one of our first indications.

I'm getting the flu shot, my kids are getting the flu shot, and my dad is getting the flu shot.

Remember, we've had avian flu around for awhile and it does hit human beings regularly. I remember the conspiracy community yelling about global plagues and deaths in the billions during the bird flu in Hong Kong in 1997. And at SARS. And at Ebola. And at every thing that came along.

Realistic projections are that 50% of unvaccinated people will get it and that 5% will die worldwide. Most of the deaths will be in the poorest areas and the poorest countries.

Let's not shriek "KILLER EPIDEMIC ANY SECOND NOW!" until we actually start seeing reports of epidemics AND deaths in epidemic proportions.

No, that's actually a "prediction" according to your article. Currently it has a 50% mortality rate. Half of those who have already become infected have died that would be a 50% rate.
A flu shot although cautious will do nothing for the H5N1 type A virus.
But you will be protected against whatever type is in the vaccine this year.

Reading these posts it's clear there is some confusion. What we're all watching is the progress of H5N1 --- a specific strain of bird flu that ostensibly only passes from bird to bird. What we fear is that the H5N1 virus will conjugate with a similar virus and mutate to a human-to-human form. It appears that this may have already happened and experts are quite certain that if it hasn't it is only a matter of time. Whatever form the final virus takes will require a specific vaccine. Past vaccines will not be effective. From an immunological point of view this will be a new organism. If the poop does hit the fan minimizing outside contact (especially indoors with large groups) is the best defense.

I have noticed you are seeing more of Bird Flu information on mainstream news lately. Last night on Fox (I know, I know how most feel about fox but it is news that a LOT of people watch) there was an interview with a doctor in New York about this.

It wasn't that long ago that if you mentioned even the possibility of a Bird Flu making people sick most of the people you talked to looked at you like you were crazy.

Now you have Doctors, hospitals, governments taking this threat seriously and slowly letting information out to the public. Like the person on the news said last night (along with so many others we have read about in this thread) it isn't a case of "if" any more it is a case of "when".

Originally posted by Indellkoffer
Realistic projections are that 50% of unvaccinated people will get it and that 5% will die worldwide.

You should concider editing your post into non existance, seeing as you are 100% wrong about something that could be very deadly. If you have any delusions about a 5% mortality rate, just contact the CDC, they can educate you.



On topic: I told my terrified 10 year old that we would leave town just as soon as the first case is reported in our region (really little comfort in a city that gets 10,000 people flying in and out per day, many of them Asians at my casino.)

[edit on 28-9-2005 by cavscout]

I knew this would be a longshot, but given the circumstances I approached my healthcare provider for a Tamiflu prescription. The "Doctor" was out sick so they had this nurse practitioner who became very patronizing with me as soon as the word Tamiflu came out of my mouth. Anyway, I ended up getting a prescription for 1 course from a low-income health clinic in the bad part of town from a doctor who barely spoke English and who had never heard of Tamiflu. He only reluctantly gave me the prescription because he realized that I had been sitting in the waiting room for 3 hours since his assistants had checked with him and confirmed he would provide a prescription. Tamiflu costs $86 at the supermarket and $101 at Walgreens for a single course. I didn't buy my one course because I already have 6 courses en route from an online pharmacy that doesn't ask for prescriptions. Along with my Tamiflu, I have been gradually stockpiling beans, rice, dried milk, canned fruit etc. I am considering buying lots of charcoal and propane. In the event of acknowledged human-to-human spreading, in the form of MSM reports I will ask my wife to stay home from her job as a schoolteacher. I will probably also begin staying home from work. I have a new baby boy who cannot take Tamiflu, and noone will be allowed near him. We will relocate to my mother-in-law's because she has a pool in her backyard which may be necessary as a water supply. I have a firearm and plenty of ammunition. It doesn't matter if you have lots of supplies if the masses of unprepared gangsters decide to take it from you.
That's my plan. Like the boyscouts say "be prepared". In the event that no pandemic comes, nothing I will have prepared will go to waste, (except for perhaps the Tamiflu). However, for those who like to "wait and see" like my oh-so-knowledgable nurse practitioner good luck purchasing Tamiflu when every other dumb$%&* has heard about the impending doom. At that point you would give your left nut, but noone would want it.

Well I'm prepared for hurricanes, so I have emergency stockpiles, but if I do hear of any outbreaks or cases in my area, I'm pulling my kids out of school and home schooling them.

[edit on 9-28-2005 by worldwatcher]

I've been stocking up on food, medical supplies and enough Tamiflu for my household.
If it becomes a pandemic I will pull my kids out of school and stay in my home and not allow anyone in. I believe its only a matter of time before it becomes a real issue.

I have a very responsive immune system, and I believe in evolution.

If I catch it I'll ride it out with the rest of the poor people.

If I survive I can get to repopulatin'.

There has been some very good advice given already on this thread, sensible advice.

As far as alternate escape routes, that's an especially salient point. Pick a location to live that has enough seclusion, combined with enough methods to evacuate.

I live in a mountain valley with two convergent highways nearby, as well as a river and a nearby underground tunnel that leads out to it. The hills on all sides are impassable to vehicles. Less than a block away there's a watchtower that overlooks the entire town, along with an escape tunnel, two functional bomb shelters, a warehouse full of heavy earthmoving machinery and fuel, as well as food, water, and tools.

Basically, choose the best location possible for every potential survival situation.

If a flu pandemic does wipe out half the country, the great thing about living in a town like mine is that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Basically nothing would change, except the price of fresh corn and cattle would rise because of demand. No worries.

Being prepared is also about being unafraid of death. If your fear controls you, it's even easier to die, totally self-defeating. One should recognize fear and take it to heart, fear is a natural reaction and can be very useful, it can help you avoid danger. But if it blinds you in a crisis you will falter, and stumble at the critical moment.

The best thing to do is be cautious, but unafraid. This is NOT an endorsement of recklessness, lemme be clear about that. Just keep your thinking cap on during any crisis, if you want to raise the odds of survival for yourself.

Hmmm.

1. I won't leave town and try to isolate myself - bird flu is spreading by multiple vectors, and animal to human transmission with H5N1 is common - not to mention food and water. That's one reason why it's so scary - quarantine is pointless and impossible.

2. I won't boost my immune system, because H5N1 gets its virulence from a prion that's hitchhiking on it - and prions use the immune system to spread in the body. The last thing you want if you're infected is an hyperactive immune system, running in 5th gear hyperspeed.

3. I WILL drink lots of green tea, cook with sage and curry (for the curcumin), and take antihistamines - because they inhibit prion multiplication. I figure if I slow the process down, then my body will have a better chance to adjust and adapt.

4. I WILL use my stockpiled food and water, because new food stocks likely will be contaminated - and the level of exposure counts. The body can assimilate and adjust to small numbers of prions - but large amounts overwhelm all the systems.

5. I WILL meditate, pray, and do whatever I can to help my body get in synch with itself, the earth, and the universe - because I know my body is trying to evolve and adjust to the contaminated industrial world.

6. I WILL stay awake, pay attention, and make sure the bad guys don't try and take over the world while everyone is distracted by all the death and destruction.


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