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Thursday, March 29, 2007

Bird=20 Flu: Personal Preparedness Must Include These 4 Critical Areas

The recent hurricanes Katrina and Rita have been = powerful=20 reminders of how destructive the forces of nature can be, and how = preparation=20 for them can mitigate their effects. Avian influenza, commonly referred = to as=20 =E2=80=9Cbird flu,=E2=80=9D is a powerful force of nature that we must = prepare for=E2=80=94or suffer the=20 potentially devastating health and financial consequences. Bird flu is a = viral=20 contagious disease, just like the regular seasonal flu, but it might = turn out to=20 be 70 times more deadly. And, because of the nature of the virus, it = might be=20 most deadly for healthy children and adults, and pregnant = women=E2=80=94just like the=20 so-called Spanish flu of 1918-19 was.

The report of the U.S. = National=20 Intelligence Council=E2=80=99s 2020 Project, Mapping the Global Future, = identified a=20 global pandemic (an epidemic that is worldwide) as the single most = important=20 threat to the global economy. According to Shigeru Omi, regional = director of the=20 World Health Organization, =E2=80=9CThe world is now in the gravest = possible danger of a=20 pandemic.=E2=80=9D And according to Dr. Robert Webster, a world-renowned = influenza=20 researcher at St. Jude=E2=80=99s Children=E2=80=99s Research Hospital in = Memphis, Tennessee, =E2=80=9CWe=20 could be heading for a global catastrophe.=E2=80=9D Infectious-disease = experts have=20 repeatedly warned that it=E2=80=99s not a question of whether a bird-flu = pandemic is=20 coming; it=E2=80=99s only a question of when.

Judging from the = federal=20 government=E2=80=99s incredibly inadequate response at all levels to = hurricane=20 Katrina=E2=80=94which is emblematic of its ineptness in dealing with = large national=20 emergencies, its slow and superficial response to bird flu to date, and = its lack=20 of leadership on this issue=E2=80=94it is clear that you cannot count on = the government=20 to protect you. You must take the initiative to prepare yourself and = your family=20 for the coming bird-flu pandemic.

There are four essential areas = that=20 you must address to prepare for the bird-flu pandemic: 1) = =E2=80=9Csocial distancing=E2=80=9D;=20 2) commodities=E2=80=94including food, 3) personal protective equipment = (PPE), and 4)=20 financial preparation. Social distancing refers to your living and work=20 situations when the pandemic strikes. Without going to extremes, you = want you=20 and your family to be as far away from other people as possible. Bird = flu is=20 just like the regular seasonal flu in that you become infected from = other=20 people, not birds. (Although it might be possible to acquire the viral = infection=20 from birds, it is much more likely that, if you do become infected, you = will=20 have acquired the virus from another person, not a bird.)

The = bird-flu=20 virus is extremely contagious; it is transmitted though casual contact = with a=20 contagious person (who might not have any symptoms during the first 24 = hours of=20 infection), through touching contaminated objects, and through the air. = Because=20 of this, you want to stay away from people as much as possible, and that = means=20 spending more time at home. Your children will not be at school, they = will be=20 home. If your home is on the 73rd floor in an apartment building in New = York=20 City, how are you going to avoid other people? You might want to think = of an=20 alternative living situation for a few months.

The same = principle=20 applies to your work setting. If you can telecommute, that is the best = scenario.=20 If you don=E2=80=99t telecommute now, but because of the type of work = you do it might be=20 a possibility, discuss it with your employer. If you will have to = continue to=20 work closely with others at your job site, what can be done there to = help=20 protect you and others from infection? How can policies and procedures = be=20 amended to minimize contact with coworkers or customers? Are there = hand-washing=20 stations available? What are your employer=E2=80=99s plans for dealing = with the coming=20 pandemic? Discuss these and related issues with your employer and = coworkers.=20

The second area that must be addressed is = =E2=80=9Ccommodities=E2=80=94including food.=E2=80=9D=20 There will be sporadic difficulties manufacturing or producing = goods=E2=80=94because=20 workers around the globe will be sick or otherwise absent from work. = There also=20 will be supply chain disruptions=E2=80=94both because workers will be = sick or otherwise=20 absent from work, and because of regional, national and/or international = restrictions on travel. These problems will cause a decrease or the=20 unavailability of most or all of the products we easily have access to = now.=20

Commodities such as soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, and = virtually=20 everything you can buy at stores such as Wal-Mart will be difficult or=20 impossible to obtain=E2=80=94for periods of weeks or months at a time. = This includes the=20 most important commodity=E2=80=94food. The federal government is always = telling us to=20 stock up on emergency supplies for three days. This will not be = sufficient=20 preparation for the coming deadly bird-flu pandemic. There will likely = be=20 limited food available in stores. In addition, stores are places you = want to=20 avoid anyway, because potentially contagious people might be there. = Stock up now=20 so that you have sufficient commodities, including food, for a period of = months.=20

The third area to address is so-called personal protective = equipment=20 (PPE), which you will have to use, depending upon circumstances. PPE = includes=20 special face masks, called N95 respirators, which help prevent infection = through=20 inhalation of the virus. Remember that avian influenza (=E2=80=9Cbird = flu=E2=80=9D) is a very=20 contagious disease that can be transmitted through the air. The only way = to=20 counter this source of infection is through the use of special N95 = respirators.=20 These are disposable face masks that can be worn for up to eight hours.=20

N95 masks were the type of masks worn by hospital workers during = the=20 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic that struck a = number of=20 cities around the world, including Toronto, Canada. Surgical masks or = other=20 common face masks, sometimes used when sanding or painting and so forth, = are not=20 effective.
Other elements of PPE include disposable latex or vinyl = gloves,=20 eye goggles or face shields, gowns impervious to liquids, and sometimes=20 disposable booties or disposable head caps. Keep in mind that during the = pandemic, most people who become infected will have to be cared for at = home, not=20 in crowded and overwhelmed hospitals. This means that caregivers taking = care of=20 loved ones at home need to be protected from the virus, just like = hospital=20 workers working in hospitals. The only way to be protected is to wear = PPE. (Just=20 washing your hands=E2=80=94the federal government=E2=80=99s primary = recommendation for=20 caregivers at home=E2=80=94will not be enough.) Once the pandemic = starts, demand for PPE=20 will be huge and supplies will be in very short supply=E2=80=94or = nonexistent. Buy now=20 or suffer the consequences later.

The last area that must be = addressed=20 before the bird-flu pandemic strikes is personal finances. This is an = area that=20 governments at all levels have been mute on. However, preparing your = finances to=20 sustain yourself and your family during (and after) the pandemic could = prove to=20 be the most important area of preparation. Although the bird-flu virus = is deadly=20 and many of us will fall ill, most of us will not die from = it=E2=80=94only one to two=20 percent of the population will likely die. The vast majority will = live=E2=80=94but under=20 what circumstances?

Think of hurricane Katrina=E2=80=94where = most people=20 survived=E2=80=94but where hundreds of thousands are now homeless and = underemployed or=20 unemployed. Because of the potentially severe local, national, and = international=20 economic consequences of the bird-flu pandemic, many of us will suffer=20 financially. Businesses around the world will not be able to make or = distribute=20 products or provide services. There will be layoffs and some companies = will go=20 out of business altogether. At a minimum, people will be out of work for = periods=20 of weeks or months. Your child or children, if you have any, will be at = home=E2=80=94not=20 in school or day care. Will that force one parent to stay home from work = to care=20 for them? How will you pay your rent or mortgage and your bills under = these=20 circumstances?

At Benjamin Franklin said, =E2=80=9CAn ounce of = prevention is=20 worth a pound of cure.=E2=80=9D When it comes to bird-flu preparation = could make the=20 difference between life and death, how much you and your family eat, and = whether=20 or not you can pay your bills, including your rent or mortgage. The = government=20 will not resolve these issues for you. Just like Smoky the = Bear=E2=80=99s admonition,=20 =E2=80=9COnly you can prevent forest fires.=E2=80=9D Only you can take = stock of this situation=20 and do something about it. Think about it=E2=80=94and then do something = about it.=20

Bradford Frank, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A.
The Frank Group =
P.O. Box=20 138
Lakewood, NY 14750
http://www.AvoidBirdFlu.com =

About the=20 author:
The Author
Bradford Frank, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A.
Dr. = Frank=20 graduated from the University of Colorado with a B.A. in chemistry and = his M.D.=20 degree. He completed two residencies, one in family practice and one in=20 psychiatry. He is board certified in psychiatry as well as addiction = medicine=20 and geriatric medicine, and is a clinical assistant professor at the = University=20 of Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, N.Y. He = has a=20 master=E2=80=99s in public health (M.P.H.) from Yale, where he = specialized in infectious=20 diseases, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern=E2=80=99s Kellogg School of = Management.=20

Dr. Frank is president of The Frank Group, a diversified company = that=20 includes a business-contingency planning consulting firm. He has = expertise in=20 the areas of business-contingency planning, emerging infectious = diseases, severe=20 acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), avian influenza (=E2=80=9Cbird = flu=E2=80=9D), weapons of mass=20 destruction, terrorism, epidemiology, and various public health issues.=20

He is the author of numerous scientific articles and several = books. His=20 latest books are Terror Unleashed: The Coming Bird Flu, Oil, Terrorism, = and=20 Financial Crises (January 2006), and Avoid Bird Flu: Expert Advice to = Help You=20 and Your Family Stay Safe (January 2006). =

Circulated by Article=20 Grinder=20

Health = Cataloque

posted by atk_ars at 7:22=20 AM

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