Preparing for Pandemic

Have you noticed how the news is downplaying influenza, and how everyone seems to be relieved that it is so mild? The grim news is that so far it is acting exactly like the influenza of 1918-1919. That started off mild, but unusual in that it was affecting mostly young, healthy, adults. (Seasonal flu's usual victims are the elderly and the very young.) This flu, just like 1918-1919, has affected a disproportionate number of teenagers and young adults and pregnant women. And both pandemics started off relatively mild, and we will have to see whether this one becomes more virulent like the 1918 one.


As you know, I read the book "The Great Influenza" by John Barry and reviewed it here on this blog (see blog entries 3-17-2009 through 3-22-2009). I remember the violent symptoms described in that book, and wondered if any of the victims today have had similar symptoms.

It really chilled me yesterday to read of the latest death from influenza, a 21-yr-old man in Salt Lake City who died Wed. May 20, because the news article said that when he was admitted to the hospital he was vomiting blood, and then he had multiple organ failure. I hope this influenza virus has not mutated to the more virulent form already.

Nature, the International Weekly Journal of Science, had an article by Peter M. Sandman, who is frustrated that the government is not giving the public more information. In the article, entitled "Pandemics: Good Hygiene is Not Enough", he says:

"The CDC's biggest failure is in not doing enough to help people visualize what a bad pandemic might be like so they can understand and start preparing for the worst."

Another article in Nature, the International Weekly Journal of Science was very informative: "Between a Virus and a Hard Place".

Carolyn Nicolaysen, in Totally Ready blog, is also frustrated that the government is not saying more about how we can prepare in our own homes. They are not warning us that if millions are sick, the trucking, grocery, gasoline, and electrical systems may all break down from lack of healthy employees to run them. She says:

"If a full blown, deadly pandemic arrives this fall I will still be giving the same advice I am giving now. The difference will be that much of what I am encouraging you to do, food storage, storing medical supplies and cleaning supplies, etc. may not be available."

And of course, if we prepare and nothing happens, we can just be thankful and have the satisfaction of knowing we have our food storage up to date.