Here are the key things that you need to do to protect yourself and your family, and to help restore order during a pandemic:
Raise Your Immune Response
There are two philosophies regarding fighting off influenza viruses. The first and most prevalent is to raise the body’s immune response. The other is to maintain normal immune response to prevent a collapse caused by over-response—hypercytokinemia, commonly called a “cytokine storm.” Hypercytokinemia is an immune-system overreaction to infection in which a feedback loop develops between cytokines and ostensibly helpful immune-system cells, such as T-cells. Once this feedback loop develops, cytokines rapidly build up to very high levels. Effectively, the body’s immune system overreacts, and begins to attack healthy tissue.
While opinion is divided on this issue, I tend toward keeping the means at hand to trigger a strong immune response—particularly if combating a highly virulent illness.
To increase your resistance to disease it is important that you stop smoking. If you are a smoker you are much more susceptible to respiratory infections, and you are at high risk to develop complications.
Get plenty of exercise, eat healthy foods, drink alcohol only in moderation, get plenty of sleep, and use top-quality vitamin supplements.
If you are overweight, you need to alter your diet to get down to within five pounds of normal body weight. Unhealthy foods weaken your immune system. Cut out refined sugar. Avoid candy, junk foods, soft drinks, and any processed foods with preservatives, artificial sweeteners, or MSG. Avoid store-bought meat, which is often tainted by the hormones and antibiotics used in commercial livestock feeds. Wild game or home-raised livestock is much healthier.
Lastly, pray. Why? Anxiety is a form of stress that weakens the immune system, and prayer is a proven way to relieve anxiety and stress. And more important, as a Christian I believe that it is crucial to pray for God’s guidance, providence, and protection.
Be Ready to Fight the Illness
Know thy enemy: Flus typically cause fever, chills, achy feeling (malaise), headaches, and extreme fatigue. Cold symptoms are usually restricted to the upper respiratory tract, while flu symptoms tend to involve the entire body.
Influenzas kill most of their victims in two ways: dehydration and lung congestion. Even the avian flu, which is a respiratory infection, typically starts with stomach-flu symptoms. Stomach flus usually induce diarrhea, which rapidly dehydrates the victim. To fight dehydration, you need to stock up on both anti-diarrhea medicines (such as Imodium AD, an antispasmodic) and electrolyte solutions such as Pedialyte. The latter is available in bulk through large chain warehouse stores. The various sports-type drinks (such as Gatorade) can be used as oral rehydration solutions (ORSes) too. However, I prefer to dilute them about 50 percent with water; they have a lot of glucose in them, which will exacerbate diarrhea symptoms.
If commercial ORSs are not available, I have read that you can make an emergency solution as follows:
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons honey, sugar, or rice powder
• ¼ teaspoon potassium chloride (table-salt substitute)
• ½ teaspoon trisodium citrate (can be replaced by baking soda)
• 1 quart clean water
Imodium is a trade name for loperamide. It can be purchased generically for relatively low cost. The generic or house brands are just fine. Stock up on acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Motrin) as well—for treating fevers. Have a traditional glass thermometer on hand for each person, or a digital thermometer with lots of disposable sleeves. The thermometers are a couple of bucks at most drugstores. The sleeves are a dollar or so per hundred. Don’t cross-contaminate your patients.
Because influenzas are viral rather than bacterial, most antibiotic drugs (antibacterials) are useless in combating them. If you suspect that you are coming down with influenza, get bed rest. Too many people ignore their symptoms because that project at work just has to get done. Not only do they risk their own health, but they put their coworkers at risk for infection as well. Liquids help ease congestion and loosen phlegm and are of course crucial to rehydration. A fever alone can double your body’s dehydration rate.
Note: There is a difference of opinion in medical circles about suppressing a fever with a nonseasonal influenza. It all depends on the particular strain. Before using aspirin (for adults) or acetaminophen (for children and adults), check the literature on the current flu strain. If there are widespread reports of cytokine-storm reactions, then suppressing a fever might be a good thing. As always, you should consult a medical professional before taking any medications.
Statistically, the largest group killed by the 1918 flu was sixteen- to twenty-five-year-olds—those with the strongest immune systems. Those patients often died because their bodies fought the virus too vigorously in a cytokine storm. Aspirin can help suppress the response that leads to a cytokine overreaction. Again, there is still considerable debate in medical literature over the issue of fever suppression versus the risk of cytokine overreaction in treating influenzas.
Respiratory flus such as the swine flu and Asian avian flu kill mainly via congestion. Buy a steam-type vaporizer. Stock up on expectorants containing guaifenesin as the main ingredient.
You will need to watch carefully for any symptoms of pneumonia. These include difficulty or painful breathing, a grunting sound when breathing (quite distinct from the wheezing of bronchitis or the “barking” of croup), extremely rapid breathing, flaring nostrils with each breath, or coughing up rust-colored phlegm. Pneumonia can be a deadly complication of the flu and is the main cause of flu-related death. It is important to note that pneumonia is typically a coinfection that can be either viral or bacterial. In case of a bacterial pneumonia, antibiotics are crucial for saving lives. If it is viral, there is not much that can be done. While antibiotics can clear infection, they cannot remove secretions. The patient must cough them all the way back up the respiratory tract. Do not use cough suppressants—anything with active ingredients like dextromethorphan or diphenhydramine. A wet cough that produces phlegm is a good thing. Your doctor might recommend expectorants, such as Robitussin. These are also available as generics, which are quite cheap, so stock up. You should also read up on postural drainage and percussion techniques for chest secretion clearance.
Avoid Exposure
Even though the chances of a full-scale “nation-busting” pandemic are small, the possibility definitely exists. A full-scale pandemic that starts taking lives on a grand scale may quite reasonably cause you to take some extreme measures to protect the lives of your family members. You can cut your chances of infection significantly if you prepare to live in isolation (a strict “self-quarantine”) for an extended period of time. You need to be ready to avoid all contact with other people during the worst of the pandemic.
History has shown that infectious diseases do their worst in urbanized regions, so if you can afford to, make plans to move to a lightly populated region, soon. Where? You can go to my blog (SurvivalBlog.com) for some detailed recommendations, but in general, I recommend moving west of the Missouri River (because of much lighter population density) to a rural, agricultural region. For more details on ideal retreats, see Chapter 3.
Aside from being actually coughed on or sneezed upon by an infected person, the most common way to catch the flu is by touching something that has been coughed on or sneezed upon by said infected person. For instance, the person who used the shopping cart before you might have had the flu. If he covered his mouth with his hand when he coughed and then used that very hand to push the cart around the store, you could catch an infection if you rubbed your eye or nose, introducing the virus to your most vulnerable point of infection.
To protect yourself (at least marginally) from infected spittle, wear wraparound goggles and buy or fabricate surgical-style masks, in quantity. Note that even an N100 gas-mask filter will not stop an airborne virus, since the viruses are too small, but a cloth mask
will give you some protection from virus-laden spittle. Once the pandemic breaks out in your region, you won’t look out of place wearing these, even on a trip to the post office. Stock up on disposable gloves. Note that some individuals are allergic to latex, so do some extended-wear tests before you buy gloves in quantity. Wear gloves whenever away from your retreat, and wash your hands frequently, regardless. Keep your hands away from your nose and eyes at all times, since your mucus membranes are some of the most sensitive to infection. Stock up on soap and bottles of disinfecting hand sanitizer and use them often, especially when using public restrooms. (Don’t forget to cover the doorknobs with a paper towel on your way out!)
Stockpile Key Logistics
To make long-term self-quarantine effective you will need to buy a large quantity of long-term storage food. (See Chapter 5 for details.) You will also need fuel. (See Chapter 6 for details.) In the event of a worst case, you may have to repel looters by force of arms. (See Chapter 11 for details.)
With the consent of your doctor and his prescription, you should stock up at least moderately on antibiotics such as penicillin and ciprofloxacin (“cipro”) to fight coinfections. But they should be used only if it is abundantly clear that a coinfection has set in. (Again, watch for pneumonia symptoms.)
There are a few drugs that have been clinically proven to be useful in lessening the symptoms of viral influenzas and shortening the duration of illness. These include Relenza (zanamivir), Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate), and Sambucol. These drugs are used immediately after the onset of flu symptoms. Of the three, Sambucol—a nonprescription tincture of black elderberry—is probably the best. I predict shortages of these drugs in coming months, so stock up while they are still readily available.
Be Prepared to Dispense Charity from a Safe Distance
It is important to lay in extra food and medication to dispense as charity. I cannot emphasize this enough. Helping your neighbors is biblically sound and builds trustworthy friendships that you can count on. To avoid risk of infection, you need to be prepared to dispense charity from a safe distance—without physical contact. Think planning, teamwork, and backup. While your family’s food storage can be in bulk containers (typically five- to seven-gallon food-grade plastic pails), your charity storage food should mostly be in smaller containers. Or at least buy some extra smaller containers that you can fill and distribute to refugees. Also be sure to lay in extra gardening seed to dispense as charity. Non-hybrid (heirloom) varieties that breed true are available from several vendors including the Ark Institute (arkinstitute.com). By dispensing charity you will be helping to restore order and reestablish key infrastructures. You’ll be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
For further research, I highly recommend that you read Dr. Grattan Woodson’s monograph Preparing for the Coming Influenza Pandemic, available for free download at my blog site (survival blog.com/AvianFlu.pdf).
Index
Alarm and camera systems,
American Radio Relay League (ARRL),
Animal feed,
Antibiotics,
Architectural weakness,
Asthma,
Avian flu,
Baby food,
Backboards and stretchers,
Bandaging,
Barley,
Barter,
barter and charity list,
Batteries
importance of stocking up on,
lamps,
for long-term storage,
solar chargers,
Bears,
Biological-warfare-and pandemic-defense list,
Blackout precautions,
Body armor,
Body weight,
Bugout backpack (BOB),
Burglar alarms,
Burial,
Businesses, home-based,
Butchering,
Camels,
Camouflage painting of vehicles,
Camp-Kitchen Kit,
Candles,
Canes,
Canned fruits and vegetables,
Canned meats,
Canning,
Cattle,
Cavities,
CB radios,
Centerfire handguns,
Chain-link fences,
Charity,
Chem/nuke-defense list,
Chickens,
Childbirth,
Chlorination,
Chronic care,
Climate,
Coffee,
Coins,
Combination guns,
Come-as-you-are concept,
Communications and monitoring,
alternative news sources,
communications/monitoring list,
equipment needed,
Family Radio Service (FRS),
Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS),
radio direction finding,
radio receiver antennas,
safe rooms and,
two-way radio communications,
Communications/monitoring list,
Composting,
Condition-white mind-set,
Constipation,
Contact lenses,
Cooking facilities,
Cooking odors,
Cooper, Jeff,
Corn,
Coyotes,
Cremation,
Currencies,
Davis, Elizabeth,
Death, as sanitation issue,
Dehydration,
Dehydrators,
Dentistry,
Depression-proof jobs,
Diabetes,
Dialysis patients,
Diapers,
Diarrhea,
Dickering,
Diesel fuel,
Diesel vehicles,
Dirt bikes,
Disaster preparedness (see Preparedness planning)
Doors, steel,
E85 vehicles,
Electric vehicles,
Electromagnetic pulse (EMP),
EMT training,
Energy bars,
Exercise,
Eyeglasses,
Eye protection,
Family Radio Service (FRS),
Fats and oils,
Feminine-hygiene products,
Field Food Kit,
Field telephones,
Filtering water,
Financial security,
Firearms,
cartridges,
centerfire handguns,
combination guns,
frequency of practice,
gun vaults,
holsters and slings,
insurance,
magazines,
night-vision scopes,
revolvers,
rifles,
rimfire handguns,
selection of,
for self-defense,
shotguns,
for small game,
storage of ammunition,
storage of guns and magazines,
training,
web gear,
Firearms list,
Fire detection,
Firefighting,
Firefighting list,
First-aid/minor-surgery list,
Fitness,
Fitness list,
Flashlights,
Floodlights,
motion-activated,
Food-grade plastic pails and buckets,
Food grinders,
Food-preparation list,
FoodSaver vacuum-packing systems,
Food-storage list,
Food supplies and storage,
animal feed,
canned fruits and vegetables,
canned meats,
categories of food,
coffee,
concealing food,
How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It Page 27
