A Swine Flu Wake-Up Call?

Whether or not this article serves as a wake-up call regarding the Swine Flu (H1N1 virus) is up to you.

I hope that no one who reads this feels that I’m motivated by “fear mongering.”  I do not share this information for any other reason than to reinforce the reality that you cannot continue to ignore or put off your emergency preparedness efforts.

Photo c/o kcsg.com

Photo c/o kcsg.com

Today Utah announced two more deaths as a result of the swine flu.  One of which occurred in the county I live in, and another significantly further north in another county.  Our death toll has nearly tripled in less than a month, and this isn’t even the flu season.  I have two sisters-in-law who work as nurses for a hospital in Salt Lake City.  They claim that the majority of their patients right now are H1N1 virus patients.

So, here’s the alarming part of all of this.  In a very non-descript way, lacking any bells and whistles, the news article which reported the most recent two deaths today shared a warning from the local health officials here.

“Should the virus become more virulent in the fall, public health officials may ask Utahns to take additional steps in order to limit its spread.  Families should begin preparing for what they would need if they are asked to spend a week away from school, work or other activities.  Now is the time to update, or create, your emergency stockpile.  Items like food, water, tissue, sanitizers, over-the-counter medications and prescription medications are all useful items to have on hand in the event you become ill and are confined to your home.”

See http://www.abc4.com/content/news/state/story/Utah-swine-flu-death-toll-rises-to-10/mc4dtcKIu0Gtvh1E1-sd7g.cspx for the entire article/news report.

Did you get that, folks?  They are trying to prepare us for the possibility of being quarantined.  This means that we will not be able to go to work, activities, or even school.  No Transformers movie, no dining out, and no scrapbooking parties.  :)  While they attempt to make light of the warning by only using a “week” as a threshold for the quarantine, you and I both know that a quarantine would not be such a short period of time.

Dr. Margaret Chan of the World Health Organization photo c/o news.bbc.co.uk

Dr. Margaret Chan of the World Health Organization photo c/o news.bbc.co.uk

Let’s recap the reality here, folks.  The WHO has officially declared a pandemic status due to the H1N1 virus.  The death toll continues to rise in states all over the U.S., and certainly the number of confirmed cases continues to rise in spite of the fact that we are NOT in the peak flu season.  In fact, we’re supposed to be in the “non” flu season right now.  Time and time again the virus is misdiagnosed and missed altogether only to have the individual die later.  Lastly, the virus continues to develop and yet we are working on an anti-biotic/immunization treatment for what we have before us right now, not what we may have before us this fall.

Do what you will with this information.  But remember, in the event of a quarantine, what you have in your home, and ONLY what you have in your home, will be all of your resources for you and your family to survive on.  Are you ready?

To keep posted on the H1N1 virus results for the U.S. you can go to www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU

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Comments

Whether it is the swine flu, or some other disease, there will be an epidemic or pandemic sometime. It' not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.

I just posted a link to a news story -- German officials are warning that there are signs that H1N1 is mutating, possibly into something more aggressive.

Actually I'm quite certain that it's BECAUSE of politics that it's not getting sufficient coverage. But I'll address that in tomorrow's article. Thanks for your comment, Chris.

At least as a homeschooler, your kids are less exposed indeed.

thanks for the heads up, Lynnaea.

I've been following the CDC stats and I'm surprised how quickly the Swine Flu became a "non-story". As of last Fri, TX had 2500 cases and 10 deaths! But it doesn't even make the local paper.

Don't forget that if you have children who cannot go to school, YOU will have to entertain them for the day so prepare for that, too! And if everyone is at home, you will need a lot more food to make it through than you might be planning. If everyone eats lunch at work/school, and snacks at daycare, you'll have to provide those meals at home, too.

Fortunately, crayons, markers, and other school supplies are about to be really cheap, LOL!

Keep in mind that article alluded to folks being required to stay home from work, whether they have kids or not, in order to avoid the Swine flu to be spread. I know why the Swine flu is being swept under the table right now, but I'll address that in tomorrows article.

It has gotten little coverage lately. Two weeks ago we entered Cancun Mexico. Mexico had health reps wearing white coats inspecting us, making us fill out health forms and took the kids temps before letting us enter the country. Everywhere we went, they had bottles of hand sanitizer and notices how to keep the spread of the flu down. When we came back to the USA after being in Mexico 2 weeks, we rec'd ZERO health questions. And I carried a ton of medications in our bags just in case we got sick.... even tamiflu. No questions about that either. Customs didn't even look down at the kids to notice if they looked ill. Customs only wanted to know if we purchased items in Mexico... to make sure declared anything that required taxes. I can see how this things gets global in days.

While the H1N1 virus is very serious, it's important to point out that the swine flu has not been the sole cause of a single death. So far everyone who has died has done so because of other underlying complications. I'm not saying it's not serious, but I think the press it is getting has a lot more to do with politics than it does with an actual medical emergency.

We can go a week with only minor discomfort, and can "survive" a month if quarantined. But I've been building up med supplies again (more Mucinex, and regret not buying another Sambucal because I was hoping to make my own, but they're still white flowers, so I'll be getting another Sambucol).

And I'll build up on the non-necessary items we'd miss too, since we'll use them over time anyway (and fill up both tanks).

Do you, or any of your readers know if there's any data about heatwaves and the swine flu? If high heat slows the spread, I should have a few months cushion, but I don't want to lull myself into a false calm either, since it still seems to be active in Mexico.

I'm not sure if this went through or not, so please delete one if it double-posted.

We can go a week with only minor discomfort, and can "survive" a month if quarantined. But I've been building up med supplies again (more Mucinex, and regret not buying another Sambucal because I was hoping to make my own, but they're still white flowers, so I'll be getting another Sambucol).

And I'll build up on the non-necessary items we'd miss too, since we'll use them over time anyway (and fill up both tanks).

Do you, or any of your readers know if there's any data about heatwaves and the swine flu? If high heat slows the spread, I should have a few months cushion, but I don't want to lull myself into a false calm either, since it still seems to be active in Mexico.

I am officially very nervous about this flu bug. Today I read about a young boy who had no underlying health problems yet died after being sick for just two days. Last night I decided to order several boxes of masks, gloves and high quality vitamins. I'll be researching to find out what else we might need. At least as a homeschooler, we have PLENTY of school work to keep the kids busy if we're ever quarantined!

Lisa

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