You need to know about this stuff to save your life. This is not something that MIGHT happen. IT WILL HAPPEN.
In case you don't know or remember, the SARS virus became a pandemic. That means it spread to countries all over the world and killed a lot of people. It was bad enough, but it could definitely be worse. Scientists and medical people who study these things think it is only a matter of time before we get a more serious pandemic.
A coronavirus related to SARS (of recent epidemic fame), was found in one person to start with. Now other people have been found with the disease in more countries.
The disease is serious. It has killed about half of the known victims. There are more questions than answers about it at this time.
One of the important questions about it is how it spreads. Bats are suspected as harboring the disease, but how it gets from them to humans is still a mystery. The scientists studying the disease suspect that some domestic animal may be the vector between bats and humans.
Goats were thought to be a possible vector until people who had no contact with goats got the disease.
The disease is not an epidemic risk now. The problem is that it could become one eventually. That possibility exists because of how rapidly viruses change. Although it is not known how this one spreads, it may become able to spread rapidly like an ordinary cold or flu virus. With about 50% fatalities now, if it starts spreading, we are in big trouble.
Our medical shepherds are quietly preparing for an epidemic of this virus. If they are worried about it, we had better do enough worrying to protect ourselves the best we can too.
I already have quite a few posts on this blog about preparedness for epidemics. You need to read them and use them, if you care about emergency preparedness.
Here is a link to a Guardian article about this epidemic in case you want to read more. It will be followed by more arcane site links that give information about viruses and epidemics.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/mar/15/coronavirus-next-global-pandemic
The above link is in plain English. I am going to give you more links about this that may cause you the pain associated with big words and thinking:
http://www.livescience.com/10510-viruses-invade.html
Okay, I lied. The link just above is not too bad. It explains things about virus basics in ways that are fairly easy to understand. It is a good article to get you up to speed to understand more.
Before you continue reading about viruses, please look at my previous posts about how to be safer during an epidemic. If you don't want to look at my posts, look at somebody's posts on how to give yourself and loved ones a better chance to survive an epidemic.
Here are more articles about viruses:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2009/04/27/virus-mutate.html
I think the most important part of the story above is that smaller farms that don't ship food as far make us safer from epidemics. We need to encourage local agriculture. It will help save our lives as well as the environment.
http://www.thepigsite.com/biblio/issue/12/127/fourth-international-symposium-on-emerging-and-reemerging-pig-diseases/general-session
The above article uses more science jargon, but it is very short.
http://www.iayork.com/MysteryRays/category/virology/
This link is to a blog that has over a hundred posts about virology. It uses scientific jargon, but explains it.
Here is an important quote from one of the posts: One compelling reason to gain an understanding of this nonlytic infection is the likelihood that adenovirus gene products cause damage to the host cell genome. … While these functions are irrelevant to the lytic infection of epithelial cells where all infected cells die, they are of serious concern when infected lymphocytes have carried the viral genome and survived. … Despite this normal appearance, the cells display altered gene expression long after the virus is lost.3
I underlined the best part. That means even after you are well from the virus itself, you can still be sick for a long time because of the damage to your body's defense system, the lymph system. You can be a sitting duck for other diseases.
I am going to give you a nice link to the Center for Disease Control yet again to give you a chance to know what to do about an epidemic:
http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/pdfs/guidelines/standatds-of-ambulatory-care-7-2011.pdf
The link above on the CDC site is about minimum standards to take good, and safe care of a sick family member at home during an epidemic. It is fairly long, but be brave and read it to save your own life and the lives of family members. I have more in previous posts including how to come up with home care during an epidemic in more affordable ways.
An epidemic is only something to worry about if you are not prepared to deal with it. Get prepared for it. Do the best you can to be ready for an epidemic, review the material and check for updates. Stay aware of local and new spreading epidemics that may come to your area.
Once you do everything you can to be prepared for an epidemic, you can stop thinking about it much.
Showing posts with label epidemic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label epidemic. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Sunday, March 4, 2012
13 Flu Pandemic Not If But When
The average American is a wimp when it comes to facing some problems. One of these is epidemics.
The Department of Health and Human Services has a fact sheet available on their site called, "The Next Flu Epidemic: What To Expect".
Don't hide your head under the covers, this information from the DHHS will still be waiting when you come out for air:
"A flu pandemic could touch us all
A flu (influenza) pandemic is an outbreak caused by a new human flu virus that spreads around the world. Because the pandemic flu virus will be new to people, many people could get very sick or could die. Seasonal flu shots do not protect people from pandemic flu.
It's not a matter of IF, but WHEN
Flu pandemics have happened throughout history. They occur from time to time, and some are worse than others.
Three flu pandemics happened in the 1900s. Near the end of World War I, the 1918 Flu Pandemic was the most severe flu pandemic of the century. It killed about 675,000 in the United States and between 20 to 50 million people around the world.
If you check your family's history, you may find how your family was affected at that time. Almost everyone was touched in some way by the 1918 Flu Pandemic. Other flu pandemics in the 1900s were less severe."
This is the end of the Department of Health and Human Services fact sheet in this post.
Public health experts say it's not a matter of IF a flu pandemic will happen, but WHEN. We cannot predict when the next flu pandemic will happen.
This is not my personal opinion. It is the view of experts who work all the time dealing with disease and its spread and prevention. They are addressing only flu epidemics in this fact sheet, but that does not mean that epidemics will be limited to flu pandemics. Please apply this information to other kinds of pandemics, and protect your life and the lives of your loved ones.
I do not know why people are such weenies about facing up to this reality. It is especially popular to joke about people who accept pandemic as a fact of life as if they are strange or crazy. I suspect that it is a way people use to protect themselves from facing something they are afraid of. Denying the existence of pandemic, as a reality that we must deal with, is not a helpful approach. It can kill you.
In order to solve a problem you must first admit that the problem exists. This is true for a pandemic crisis. If you wish to be prepared for emergencies, pandemic disaster must be part of that preparedness.
The Department of Health and Human Services has a fact sheet available on their site called, "The Next Flu Epidemic: What To Expect".
Don't hide your head under the covers, this information from the DHHS will still be waiting when you come out for air:
"A flu pandemic could touch us all
A flu (influenza) pandemic is an outbreak caused by a new human flu virus that spreads around the world. Because the pandemic flu virus will be new to people, many people could get very sick or could die. Seasonal flu shots do not protect people from pandemic flu.
It's not a matter of IF, but WHEN
Flu pandemics have happened throughout history. They occur from time to time, and some are worse than others.
Three flu pandemics happened in the 1900s. Near the end of World War I, the 1918 Flu Pandemic was the most severe flu pandemic of the century. It killed about 675,000 in the United States and between 20 to 50 million people around the world.
If you check your family's history, you may find how your family was affected at that time. Almost everyone was touched in some way by the 1918 Flu Pandemic. Other flu pandemics in the 1900s were less severe."
This is the end of the Department of Health and Human Services fact sheet in this post.
Public health experts say it's not a matter of IF a flu pandemic will happen, but WHEN. We cannot predict when the next flu pandemic will happen.
This is not my personal opinion. It is the view of experts who work all the time dealing with disease and its spread and prevention. They are addressing only flu epidemics in this fact sheet, but that does not mean that epidemics will be limited to flu pandemics. Please apply this information to other kinds of pandemics, and protect your life and the lives of your loved ones.
I do not know why people are such weenies about facing up to this reality. It is especially popular to joke about people who accept pandemic as a fact of life as if they are strange or crazy. I suspect that it is a way people use to protect themselves from facing something they are afraid of. Denying the existence of pandemic, as a reality that we must deal with, is not a helpful approach. It can kill you.
In order to solve a problem you must first admit that the problem exists. This is true for a pandemic crisis. If you wish to be prepared for emergencies, pandemic disaster must be part of that preparedness.
Friday, March 2, 2012
12 My Suggestions For Additional Home Quarantine/Illness Supplies
There are some items not specifically mentioned in my previous post that I believe will be helpful for taking care of sick people at home:
Cleaning supplies
antibacterial soap (an expert suggested antibacterial Dawn dish soap)
Cleaning rags - microfiber cloths have a built in antibacterial quality
Buckets - I like to have at least two, one for washing and another one for rinsing. I find that the rinse water must be changed much more frequently than the wash water.
Steamer for cleaning - this will only work if you still have electric power, of course, but it is a great way to increase your ability to clean faster and more thoroughly without exhaustion.
Plenty of laundry supplies
laundry soap
borax powder - this is not absolutely necessary, but it is a powerful cleaner and is like insurance that you have killed everything contagious. You need to pre-soak your laundry for this to be most effective. I like half an hour of pre-soaking before letting the wash cycle continue. The container will have suggestions.
You may want specialized cleaners for different surfaces and materials. There are nontoxic and biodegradable equivalents of many of these that you can make at home. I do this myself, but that would be getting into an entirely different set of blog post subjects.
There are levels of preparedness that you may not want or be capable of this point, but I will briefly mention them here. Lack of electrical power is a common feature of disasters. If you are experiencing a lack of electrical power, then you might like to be prepared for cleaning without it. That would include doing laundry.
I bought a plain wooden washboard that will fit in my sink. I have used this during personal financial emergencies and am quite practiced at the use of this item. It does require some skill to use it without exhausting yourself and to get things clean without making a huge mess. You may or may not want to develop this skill ahead of time.
There are various kinds of laundry devices offered for people who want to be prepared for disasters. You can spend as little or as much as you want on them. A washboard does not take up much room and is cheap as well. It works for me now. They can be found in hardware stores.
A good sized stack of washcloths is very helpful for various medical uses. You can put them in hot water to make hot packs for infected wounds and soreness. They can also be used for cold packs, with or without ice.
They can also be used instead of tissues for sneezing and coughing. You may consider it either an advantage or disadvantage that they can be washed and reused. If supplies of tissues are short, it is very important to have a substitute.
I hope you never have occasion to use this information, but we had better not depend on that. Epidemics are increasing in frequency and in numbers of diseases that can cause them. For your personal security and safety and the security and safety of your loved ones, emergency preparedness must include provision for epidemics.
An expert also suggested the use of nitrile gloves for the person who is tending the sick room. He also mentioned a tyvek suit.
When I worked in a hospital, we used clean patient nightgowns that tied in the back. We put two of them over our uniforms. One was tied in front and the other in back. We used a set for each room that was being treated as a quarantine room. I think a pair of loose nightgowns split up the middle with ties, snaps, or velcro closures added would work in this capacity for home use.
More ideas like these may occur to me later. If so, I will do extra posts to include them.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
11 Caring For Someone Sick At Home Epidemic Disease Preparedness
This information is here for use in an epidemic of contagious disease. The information is given as it would be for care of someone with flu. It can mostly apply to any contagious disease. It can also apply quite a bit to illness after a natural disaster, and chemical or radiation illness.
It is often assumed that a family member who is ill after a disaster will be cared for in a hospital. In many disasters, hospitals are overwhelmed and cannot cope with more people. Part of your preparedness must be knowing how to care for a family member who is ill, at home.
Here is some information from the Center for Disease Control on how to do this:
Learn what you can do to help your family this flu season.
It is often assumed that a family member who is ill after a disaster will be cared for in a hospital. In many disasters, hospitals are overwhelmed and cannot cope with more people. Part of your preparedness must be knowing how to care for a family member who is ill, at home.
Here is some information from the Center for Disease Control on how to do this:
The Flu: Caring for Someone Sick at Home
5 steps to take if you get the flu
- Stay at home and rest.
- Avoid close contact with well people in your house so you won’t make them sick.
- Drink plenty of water and other clear liquids to prevent fluid loss (dehydration).
- Treat fever and cough with medicines you can buy at the store.
- If you get very sick or are pregnant or have a medical condition that puts you at higher risk of flu complications (like asthma...), call your doctor. You might need antiviral medicine to treat flu.
Make a Sick Room
- Make a Sick Room, if You Can
- Follow the Sick Room Rules
- How to Clean the Sick Room
- Tips for Caregivers
Prevent Fluid Loss
- Tips to Prevent Fluid Loss (Dehydration)
- Check for Fluid Loss
- When to Get Medical Help for Fluid Loss
Medicine Safety
Treat Symptoms
This link below will give you thorough instructions on how to care for a sick person in your home. I believe it is a good idea to print it out, if you don't already have this information, and include it in your first aid kit. This is not something to leave to the last minute to learn. You can read it as soon as you print it out and pass it along to other family members as well. It is not possible to predict who might be stricken with illness, so it would be best for all family members who are able to understand it, to know how to care for the other family members.
[1.4 MB, 24 pages]
Here is a list of supplies you will need to be prepared to care for a sick person at home from the pamphlet above:
Tissues
Trash can with lid and lined with a plastic trash bag
Alcohol-based hand rub
Cooler or pitcher with ice and drinks
Cup with straw or squeeze bottle to help with
drinking
Thermometer
Humidifier (A machine that puts tiny drops of
water into the air. This extra moisture can make it
easier for the sick person to breathe.)
Facemasks (Sick people should wear a facemask if
available when they leave the sick room or are
around other people.)
I have put additional sick room supplies for emergency preparedness in my next post. They are personal observations that you can take or leave. I do not consider myself an expert.
Monday, February 27, 2012
7 Preparing for an Epidemic Quarantine
You need to know what is on this fact sheet to deal with an epidemic. There is a lot more you will need to know. Since this particular disaster is just waiting to happen anywhere in the world, that includes you. This post is not enough information, so I have posted and have more yet to post about preparedness for epidemics.
You don't need to read all of them or learn it elsewhere, unless you want to live through an epidemic. If you are ok about dying when an epidemic hits your area, feel free to go on your way and ignore it. If that is the case you don't really need to prepare at all, because other disasters can include epidemics. Just pick where you want your headstone. You might end up in a mass grave elsewhere, however.
In case you want to live through an epidemic read on:
Modern quarantine is used when:
Modern quarantine is more likely to involve limited numbers of exposed persons in small areas than to involve large numbers of persons in whole neighborhoods or cities. The small areas may be thought of as "rings" drawn around individual disease cases. Examples of "rings" include:
Implementation of modern quarantine requires the trust and participation of the public, who must be informed about the dangers of contagious diseases subject to quarantine before an outbreak or intentional release of biological agents, as well as during an actual event.
I am sorry if you are bored with reading about epidemics. If you want to live through one, keep reading or find the information elsewhere, the Center for Disease Control, for example.
You don't need to read all of them or learn it elsewhere, unless you want to live through an epidemic. If you are ok about dying when an epidemic hits your area, feel free to go on your way and ignore it. If that is the case you don't really need to prepare at all, because other disasters can include epidemics. Just pick where you want your headstone. You might end up in a mass grave elsewhere, however.
In case you want to live through an epidemic read on:
Understand Quarantine and Isolation
Fact Sheet
Modern quarantine is used when:- a person or a well-defined group of people has been exposed to a highly dangerous and highly contagious disease,
- resources are available to care for quarantined people, and
- resources are available to implement and maintain the quarantine and deliver essential services.
- Short-term, voluntary home curfew.
- Restrictions on the assembly of groups of people (for example, school events).
- Cancellation of public events.
- Suspension of public gatherings and closings of public places (such as theaters).
- Restrictions on travel (air, rail, water, motor vehicle, pedestrian).
- Closure of mass transit systems.
- Restrictions on passage into and out of an area.
- Enhanced disease surveillance and symptom monitoring.
- Rapid diagnosis and treatment for those who fall ill.
- Preventive treatment for quarantined individuals, including vaccination or prophylactic treatment, depending on the disease.
Modern quarantine is more likely to involve limited numbers of exposed persons in small areas than to involve large numbers of persons in whole neighborhoods or cities. The small areas may be thought of as "rings" drawn around individual disease cases. Examples of "rings" include:
- People on an airplane or cruise ship on which a passenger is ill with a suspected contagious disease for which quarantine can serve to limit exposure to others.
- People in a stadium, theater or similar setting where an intentional release of a contagious disease has occurred.
- People who have contact with a infected person whose source of disease exposure is unknown—and therefore may be due to a covert release of a contagious disease.
Implementation of modern quarantine requires the trust and participation of the public, who must be informed about the dangers of contagious diseases subject to quarantine before an outbreak or intentional release of biological agents, as well as during an actual event.
I am sorry if you are bored with reading about epidemics. If you want to live through one, keep reading or find the information elsewhere, the Center for Disease Control, for example.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
2 Epidemic Disaster Preparedness Shelter In Place - Home
This blog post is to help you know what to do during an epidemic where you are told to "shelter in place". The first place I will tell you about to shelter in place is your home. Most of these shelter in place instructions will apply to most disasters, besides epidemics.
During an epidemic emergency as with any other emergency, you need to know about it. In the United States there are emergency broadcast system tests that annoy radio and television listeners and viewers periodically. They will tell you during a real use of the emergency broadcast system where to tune in to find out what to do next.
One of the things you may be told to do when you tune in to an official emergency broadcast is that you need to shelter in place. I will tell you later about sheltering in place in a vehicle, a workplace, or school.
Learn How to Shelter in Place
The appropriate steps depend on the emergency situation. If you
hear a warning signal, listen to local radio or television stations
for further information. You will be told what to do, including where
to find the nearest shelter if you are away from your
"shelter-in-place" location.
If you are told to "shelter-in-place," act quickly. Follow the instructions of local authorities. In general:
ABC News:
Pick up the Habits of Healthy Behavior (Slightly paraphrased)
The habits that can help keep you healthy in an outbreak are the same good health habits that can keep you from catching the common cold: maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly and get enough rest. Especially in a flu outbreak situation, it will be important to wash your hands thoroughly and often, reminding loved ones -- especially children -- to do the same. Always be careful about covering coughs and sneezes with tissues, teaching any children in your family to do the same. Also teach children to stay away from others as much as possible if they are sick and stay home from work or school if you are sick.
(Me, winging it:)
Train yourself and your family members not to touch your face unconsciously. This is particularly so for your eyes, nose and mouth. Your body is especially vulnerable to catching disease in these areas. Wash your hands as soon as you get home from a public place or public transportation.
I believe a steamer is a good tool for everyday use, but is especially so in the event of an epidemic. For everyday, you and household members will catch and transmit less disease by using a steamer. Use it to clean frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs, light switches and plates, cabinet knobs and appliance and entertainment system knobs.
It is a good idea to find out whether your electronics can be harmed by steam cleaning their knobs before you do it. Removing the knobs and cleaning them may work better.
Since some kinds of bacteria have become immune to alcohol, alcohol wipes and that sort of thing, are no longer useful for cleaning. Steam cleaning gives us a way to stop the diseases we can not combat with alcohol cleaners.
The CDC goes into great detail on specific diseases and how to deal with each one, including recognition of symptoms. Anthrax is one of these.
I found that especially interesting because I worked for the Post Office during the Anthrax poisonings in Post Offices.
I heard more than I ever wanted to know, during that time, about Anthrax. This threat has not gone away. We could be dealing with this one at any time again. Bioterrorism weapons are being researched by governments all over the world, including the USA. Some of the anthrax used in the United States was said to have come from the USA weapons research programs. Since this is such a serious threat, I will cover Anthrax and what you need to know and do about it in a separate post.
I have been studying how to filter air and clean it so you can have fresh air in your home during an long shelter in place emergency without directly breathing outside air. I am not ready to write a post about it, but if you are impatient, you can research it yourself.
During an epidemic emergency as with any other emergency, you need to know about it. In the United States there are emergency broadcast system tests that annoy radio and television listeners and viewers periodically. They will tell you during a real use of the emergency broadcast system where to tune in to find out what to do next.
One of the things you may be told to do when you tune in to an official emergency broadcast is that you need to shelter in place. I will tell you later about sheltering in place in a vehicle, a workplace, or school.
Learn How to Shelter in Place
At Home (This came from the CDC site, but they were apparently quoting the Red Cross here.)
The appropriate steps depend on the emergency situation. If you
hear a warning signal, listen to local radio or television stations
for further information. You will be told what to do, including where
to find the nearest shelter if you are away from your
"shelter-in-place" location.If you are told to "shelter-in-place," act quickly. Follow the instructions of local authorities. In general:
- Bring children and pets indoors immediately. If your children are at school, do not try to bring them home unless told to. The school will shelter them.
- Close and lock all outside doors and windows. Locking may provide a tighter seal.
- If you are told there is danger of explosion, close the window shades, blinds, or curtains.
- Turn off the heating, ventilation, or air conditioning system. Turn off all fans, including bathroom fans operated by the light switch.
- Close the fireplace or woodstove damper. Become familiar with proper operation of flues and dampers ahead of time.
- Get your disaster supplies , and make sure the radio is working.
- Take everyone, including pets, into an interior room with no or few windows and shut the door.
- If you have pets, prepare a place for them to relieve themselves where you are taking shelter. Pets should not go outside during a chemical or radiation emergency because it is harmful to them and they may track contaminants into your shelter. The Humane Society of the United States suggests that you have plenty of plastic bags and newspapers, as well as containers and cleaning supplies, to help deal with pet waste.
- If you are instructed to seal the room, use duct tape and plastic sheeting, such as heavy-duty plastic garbage bags, to seal all cracks around the door into the room. Tape plastic over any windows. Tape over any vents and seal electrical outlets and other openings. As much as possible, reduce the flow of air into the room.
- Call your emergency contact and keep the phone handy in case you need to report a life-threatening condition. Otherwise stay off the phone, so that the lines will be available for use by emergency responders.
- Keep listening to your radio or television until you are told all is safe or you are told to evacuate. Do not evacuate unless instructed to do so.
- When you are told that the emergency is over, open windows and doors, turn on ventilation systems, and go outside until the building's air has been exchanged with the now clean outdoor air. Follow any special instructions given by emergency authorities to avoid chemical or radiological contaminants outdoors.
The room should have 10 square feet of floor space per person in
order to provide sufficient air to prevent carbon dioxide buildup for
5 hours. In this room, you should store scissors, plastic sheeting
pre-cut to fit over any windows or vents and rolls of duct tape to
secure the plastic. Access to a water supply is desirable, as is a
working hard-wired telephone. Don't rely on cell phones because
cellular telephone circuits may be overwhelmed or damaged during an
emergency. Also, a power failure will render most cordless phones
inoperable.
Make sure all family members know what to do in an emergency
whether they are at home, school, work, or outdoors. This includes
knowing the number of an out-of-town friend or relative who has agreed
to serve as an emergency contact. It can be easier to reach someone
out of town during an emergency than to reach someone locally,
including family members. The contact can collect the information on
where and how everybody is and help reassure and reunite families.
ABC News:
Pick up the Habits of Healthy Behavior (Slightly paraphrased)
The habits that can help keep you healthy in an outbreak are the same good health habits that can keep you from catching the common cold: maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly and get enough rest. Especially in a flu outbreak situation, it will be important to wash your hands thoroughly and often, reminding loved ones -- especially children -- to do the same. Always be careful about covering coughs and sneezes with tissues, teaching any children in your family to do the same. Also teach children to stay away from others as much as possible if they are sick and stay home from work or school if you are sick.
(Me, winging it:)
Train yourself and your family members not to touch your face unconsciously. This is particularly so for your eyes, nose and mouth. Your body is especially vulnerable to catching disease in these areas. Wash your hands as soon as you get home from a public place or public transportation.
I believe a steamer is a good tool for everyday use, but is especially so in the event of an epidemic. For everyday, you and household members will catch and transmit less disease by using a steamer. Use it to clean frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs, light switches and plates, cabinet knobs and appliance and entertainment system knobs.
It is a good idea to find out whether your electronics can be harmed by steam cleaning their knobs before you do it. Removing the knobs and cleaning them may work better.
Since some kinds of bacteria have become immune to alcohol, alcohol wipes and that sort of thing, are no longer useful for cleaning. Steam cleaning gives us a way to stop the diseases we can not combat with alcohol cleaners.
The CDC goes into great detail on specific diseases and how to deal with each one, including recognition of symptoms. Anthrax is one of these.
I found that especially interesting because I worked for the Post Office during the Anthrax poisonings in Post Offices.
I heard more than I ever wanted to know, during that time, about Anthrax. This threat has not gone away. We could be dealing with this one at any time again. Bioterrorism weapons are being researched by governments all over the world, including the USA. Some of the anthrax used in the United States was said to have come from the USA weapons research programs. Since this is such a serious threat, I will cover Anthrax and what you need to know and do about it in a separate post.
I have been studying how to filter air and clean it so you can have fresh air in your home during an long shelter in place emergency without directly breathing outside air. I am not ready to write a post about it, but if you are impatient, you can research it yourself.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Proof That You Need To Prepare For An Epidemic
I don't think I need to really say much about this post. I just put a chart from the Center for Disease Control on here. If you are one of the few people left in the world that do not believe an epidemic will be coming to your neighborhood, this chart should take care of that. It does not fit well on my blog. Sorry about that. You can still make sense of it. I hope this will encourage you to prepare for this and other disasters. Here is a link for those who would like to see it in the original /better format. http://www.cdc.gov/oid/docs/ID-Framework.pdf
Box 1. Examples of infectious disease threats, unusual health events, and newly
discovered pathogens, worldwide, 2000–2011
2000
Outbreak of Rift Valley fever in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, representing the first reported cases of the disease outside the African continent
2000
First detection of carbapenem resistance among the common gram‐negative bacteria Enterobacteriaceae (Klebsiella pneumoniae)
2001
Intentionally caused anthrax in the United States
2001
Identification in the Netherlands of a new virus, human metapneumovirus, among children with respiratory infections
2002
First detection of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria completely resistant to vancomycin
2002
Outbreak of multidrug‐resistant Salmonella Newport in the United States
2002
Norovirus infection on cruise ships entering U.S. ports
2003
Global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused by a previously unknown coronavirus
2003
Identification of a new, hypervirulent strain of Clostridium difficile as the cause of hospital outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness in the United States and Canada
2003
Cases of monkeypox in the United States linked to exotic pets imported from Central Africa
2003
Re‐emergence of avian influenza A (H5N1) in Southeast Asia, and outbreaks in Africa
2005
Marburg hemorrhagic fever outbreak in Angola
2005
Identification in Sweden of a new virus, human bocavirus, among children hospitalized with acute respiratory infections
2006
Rift Valley fever outbreak in Kenya
2007
Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
2007
Outbreak of Nipah virus encephalitis in Bangladesh
2007
First detection in Italy of mosquito‐borne transmission of chikungunya fever, previously detected only in parts of Africa and South and Southeast Asia
2007
Discovery in Thailand of a new human species of Bartonella, an insect‐borne bacteria that multiples inside red blood cells causing fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and rash
2007
Hemorrhagic fever outbreak in Uganda caused by a new stain of Ebola: Bundibugyo Ebola virus
2007
Outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever in Uganda
2008
Ebola‐like outbreak in Zambia due to a previously unknown virus: Lujo hemorrhagic fever virus
2008
Isolation in Australia of a new virus (transplant‐associated arenavirus related to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus) after three recipients of liver or kidney transplants from a single donor developed febrile illness and died
2008
Increasing outbreaks and international spread of carbapenem‐resistant Enterobacteriaceae, and first detection of New Delhi metallo‐beta‐lactamase (NDM‐1), a genetic element that can confer such resistance
2009–10
Locally transmitted dengue in Florida, representing the first cases acquired in the continental United States outside the Texas–Mexico border since 1945
2009–10
Influenza pandemic caused by a new influenza strain, influenza A (H1N1)
2010
Outbreaks of cholera in Haiti
2011
Outbreak of Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli O104:H4 (STEC O104:H4) infections in Germany
2011
Identification by an international team of researchers of a strain of gonorrhea (H041) resistant to all available antibiotics
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