10 Tips for Recovering from a Virus

Yours truly is sick as a dog.  Not sure if it is the flu or some sort of viral respiratory thing but now everyone in the house is sick.  Some tips for recovery:

1. Sleep.  A lot.
2. Antivirals may help.  They help more proactively, and with declining success after the illness has set in.  I chose to power through without them.
3. Stay hydrated.  Boil ginger in water and add lemon and honey.  Drink this like it is a new food group.
4. Eat when you are hungry but eat sparingly.  And avoid heavy, greasy food as well as dairy.
5. Break out your stockpile of kleenex and meds (Tylenol, Thera Flu, NyQuil, etc).
6. Stay home.  Don't go out and about infecting others.
7. Don't overexert yourself (like trying to keep up with your workouts or trying to work 8 hours a day); you need to rest in order to recover.
8. Treat the symptoms.  Tylenol to reduce fever and help with body aches, cough syrup to help with coughing, and according to the spouse, slathering yourself in Vicks cures everything else (I decided to power through without the Vicks cure).
9. If necessary (it shouldn't actually be necessary if you have been prepping for a while), use DoorDash or other delivery services to bring you what you need to weather the illness (chicken soup from the local Chinese place, more Kleenex from Walmart, meds from your local pharmacy, etc).
10. If you have severe symptoms--difficulty breathing, very high fever or fever that won't break, rash. vomiting to the point of dehydration--get thee to a hospital.

Flu Preparedness

I haven't said much about flu preparedness this season because up until a week or so ago, the flu season had been pretty low profile this year.  Last year was a pretty bad flu season with more than 80,000 people dying of the flu which made it the worst flu season in 40 years.  This year about 7 million people have been reported to have the flu but the death rate has, fortunately, been pretty low so far.  Here are some resources for preparing for the flu:

• The CDC's influenza page has all kinds of information about the flu and how to prepare for it.
• Check here to find a flu vaccination clinic near you.
• Here is a flu map that shows recent outbreaks.
• This is a global flu preparedness checklist.
• Here is a checklist for basic flu preps.
• And a few more preps for individuals.
• Here is OSHA's 100 page guide on pandemic flu preparedness.
• Here are some important guidelines for taking yourself to the hospital if you have flu symptoms.

Prepping for the Flu

We are coming up on flu season so now would be an opportune time to prep for this annual event.  Some people say "why bother if you get it, you get it" but the problem with the flu is that in a good year, thousands of regular people will die from the flu and in a very bad year, millions of people die from it. 

If you've ever had the flu, you know it will knock you on your ass for at least a week with full recovery taking weeks if not months.  And while many people survive the flu, every year perfectly health people will die from the virus, mostly from pneumonia and respiratory arrest.

Consider the following preps for this year's flu season:

• Get a flu vaccine (these are kind of hit or miss because the effectiveness of the vaccine each year ranges from OK to dismal, never 100% effective, but better than nothing for those who don't fall into the should-not-be-vaccinated category).
• Stock up on sick-kit materials (kleenex, hand sanitizer, face masks, medication, cough syrup, canned soup, etc).
• Prepare to isolate yourself and your family in the event that there is a pandemic-level outbreak in your community (ie: have a stockpile of food, water, and everything else you would need to stay home and not go to the store for weeks at a time).
• Consider how you would work and/or educate your kids at home if your area's medical officer calls for a quarantine in your area.
• Discuss the flu season ahead of time with your doctor if you or a family member is in a high-risk group (pregnant, a small child, elderly, or already ill with a severe or chronic illness).
• Know when to go to the hospital.  If someone has the flu and their condition is deteriorating (dehydrated, shortness of breath, chest pain, severe cough, etc) they should definitely head for the emergency room.
• Keep your distance from people during flu season (a good four feet is recommended as the virus is spread through droplets from people's nose and mouth).
• Study up on the flu by Googling "flu preparedness" and you will find reams of material on the topic.

Poll Results and a New Poll

Our last poll asked "How's the flu in your area?"
Your answers:

• 7 people (18%) said there was none yet.
• 14 people (36%) said it was about the same as a regular flu season.
• 14 people (36%) said more people than expected have got the flu so far this year.
• 3 people (7%) said it's a pandemic and everyone around here is catching it.

The poll is more than two weeks old (sorry for the late update!) so things may have changed by now. In our area, the flu is making the rounds and it seems like nearly everyone has come down with some type of bug. Unless you are hospitalized, however, you can not get tested to confirm that is actually is the H1N1 flu.

On the one hand, this virus has been a fairly mild event with some deaths but not the overwhelming number of deaths that are often associated with a pandemic. On the other hand, because the death rate has been fairly low for what is a global pandemic, people may take future announcements of a pandemic less seriously than they should.

Be sure to take our new poll....>>>>

Surviving Disaster: Pandemic

Last Tuesday's episode of Surviving Disaster focused on two related disasters, a nerve gas attack and a pandemic outbreak. You can catch this episode on the Surviving Disaster website, and I highly recommend that you actually watch the show instead of just reading my notes as there is so much covered that I'm sure I did not get all of the small details. Here's the high points of the episode:

Chemical Attack

• The US government says that a biological/chemical attack in the US is highly likely within the next four years. Something along the lines of the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995 is what they see as a very likely possibility.
• Schools, football stadiums, amusement parks, and other places where a large number of people gather are likely targets for such an attack.
• Often times these are suicide attacks where a person takes a canister of nerve gas into a crowded area and opens the container. You can't see or smell most nerve gas agents and a droplet of the poison can kill a person in minutes.
• A nerve agent affects any part of your body that relies on muscle control such as the heart and lungs. With your nerves paralyzed, your heart and lungs will stop working.
• In the scenario, the people on the subway noticed a problem when people on the subway car in front of them began keeling over.
• When the subway stops (in this scenario the nerve gas killed the conductor and the subway stopped), pull the emergency release lever to open the doors and escape.
• Walk in the direction that the train was traveling even though the infected car is in front of you. With the gas, there is a good chance that the nerve gas has left a trail of the vaporized agent behind the train so you don't want to be walking through this.
• Hold your breath as you walk along the escape route out of the subway tunnel and pass by the car where the gas was released.
• Take off your outer layer of clothing, this will remove about 90% of the toxins that you have been exposed to. Remember not to pull your shirt over your head or this will get the toxin into your mouth, nose, and eyes. Leave your bags and anything else you were carrying behind as well.
• Look for an exit sign or a blue light so that you can escape from the tunnel. Both the subway stopping and the alarm from opening the exit door will alert the central subway office that there is a problem. They will also be able to monitor the tunnels which have video surveillance equipment.
• Get outside into the air as quickly as possible as this will diffuse much the toxins that are on you.
• Tell someone to call 911 and also tell them to alert responders that there was a nerve gas attack and where specifically the incident occurred. You don't want responders walking into this type of deadly situation without warning.
• While waiting for help, take all of your clothes off and wash down with soap and water. In this scenario, the people went into a nearby laundromat and washed off with soap and water. Repeat this process.
• Wait for medical help to arrive. They will probably put you through a similar decon process. A professional decon process includes stage #1--clothes drop, stage #2--wash down with soap and detergent, stage #3--monitoring for residual symptoms.

Virus Attack (Pandemic flu)

• One person could be infected with a deadly virus and spread it to others, eventually causing hundreds of thousands to die. This person is called Patient 0 in a global pandemic.
• In this scenario, a person on the subway is infected with a pandemic flu virus. He is unaware he has the virus as it takes a few days for symptoms to show up but you can be contagious even before you have symptoms.
• The virus is spread from person to person. The man infects four people on the subway, they each infect four people; you can see how the virus can spread exponentially.
• During a pandemic, the government will tell people to shelter in their homes. Schools, public events, and other places where people gather will be shut down. National Guard and law enforcement will do what is termed "aggressive control of contacts" by patrolling the streets and ensuring that people are not out and about.
• The group in the scenario were now in survival mode. Their first task was to go to the stores and stock up on food and supplies. Everyone else was doing this too so food and supplies quickly ran out. Stores often have enough stock for only a day or two as they rely on just-in-time delivery of goods.
• When you go out to stock up, realize that people will be in a panic, supplies will quickly disappear, and this also puts you in contact with many people which could expose you to the virus.
• Viruses spread by touch transmission (the virus can last for 24 to 48 hours on items such as paper, cloth, etc), droplets from infected people that are discharged when they talk, cough, or sneeze, and by air dried droplets which float in the air.
• In this situation, it is important to wash your hands often and try not to touch too many things (in the scenario they wiped down the grocery cart handle with bleach before using it).
• The average man needs 1800 calories a day. A three month supply of food can be achieved by buying 20 pounds of rice (carbs), three gallons of canola oil (fats), and 100 6-ounce cans of tuna fish (protein). Also at the store you want to grab whatever other food you can (flour-based items and oatmeal are good), flashlights and batteries, duct tape, sheet plastic, garbage bags, and rain ponchos.
• Don't talk to people when you are out as this can expose you to the virus.
• In the hardware section, pick up N95 masks. These masks block 95% of particles and can be used when caring for the sick or going out in public.
• When people are in a panic, they will try to take what you have. The group was confronted in the store parking lot by two men who wanted their food. Each of the four took a side of the asset (their cart of food) to defend, while one pushed the cart. The others used empty carts to keep six feet between them and the looters. It was noted that these probably were not hardened criminals and if you resist and fight back, they will go away and look for easier targets.
• Note that you could be sheltered at your home for three months or until a vaccine for the virus is developed.
• Before you bring anything into the house (food, supplies, etc) leave it outside, in the back yard, in the sunlight for a couple of hours. The sunlight will kill any virus on the items.
• Wash your hands often with soap, including under the nails and between the fingers, for about 30 seconds. Don't touch your eyes, nose, or mouth as this is the easiest way to introduce the virus into your system.
• Once inside, don't go out again or talk to anyone as this could cause you to become infected. In the scenario, one guy was talking to the neighbor outside so he needed to be quarantined in a sick room for up to six days to see if he had any symptoms of being ill. He will not be able to leave this room and infect others in the house until it is determined if he has or does not have the virus; this will take up to six days.
• To make a sick room/negative pressure isolation room, put a fan in the window pointing out. Cover doors and windows with plastic and duct tape. For the door to the room that people must come in and out of, hang plastic in layers which will help contain the virus.
• A couple of days later the guy was coughing, had a fever, and body aches. One person who was least likely to get sick (she did not have any chronic medical conditions and had had a flu shot which offers some immunity) was the only one assigned to care for him.
• She only went into the room to give the ill person water and food and offer ibuprofen to control pain. Each time she went into the room, she needed to wear long pants, a long sleeved shirt, shoes, a shower cap, a plastic poncho, a mask, and gloves to protect herself.
• In six weeks, three million people could die from the pandemic; after ten weeks, there could be 10 million dead.
• Only six companies in the world can make the vaccine and it can take from four to six months to develop, test, and produce a vaccine.
• Soon the guy in the isolation room died. Morgues, ice rinks, and refrigerated storage will be used to store the dead. Since the people did not want to risk infecting themselves by leaving their home, they wrapped the body in plastic and buried him six feet deep in the back yard as far away from the house as possible.
• Eventually the power went out, there was no garbage service, and all other service began to stop as more and more people who perform these services as their regular job became ill. At this point in the video I particularly like the "looters will be shot" and "neighborhood is patrolled" signs spray painted around the neighborhood.
• After three months the group needed more food. Since grocery stores were long ago emptied, they took information from the phone book of locations of restaurants and food distribution warehouses to check for food.
• Before they left to search for food, they made pepper spray from cayenne pepper mixed with rubbing alcohol and put in a small spray bottle.
• One person guarded the house while the rest of the team went in search of food.
• They used a long bar to pry the padlock off a warehouse door. To show you are not looting, it was suggested you leave a note with the items you took and contact information so you can settle up later.
• Leaving the warehouse the group was attacked by a dog. One guy ran (note, don't run from a dog, you won't outrun it) and was attacked by the dog. He wrapped a sweater around his arm to protect himself and sprayed the dog with the pepper spray.
• At this point there will not be any police force to protect you and there will be a lot of looting and violence by hungry, desperate people.
• If you are home, looters will assume you have supplies and may use deadly force to take it from you.
• The group reinforced their position from the outside in.
• Outside, wrap glasses in a shirt and smash them. Use the broken glass to put along all outside window ledges so that if someone tries to break in at night, they will cut themselves and probably make noise.
• In the house, cover the windows with black plastic so people can't see inside. Put heavy bookcases in front of the windows with plates on the case. If people try to break in, you will hear the plates falling (this will be your 'perimeter alarm').
• Reinforce the doors with wood (like a small door) wedged between the door and the stairs. This will make it hard to break down but easy for you to remove if you need to leave.
• Fill bags, pillow cases, and other things with dirt from the yard to improvise bullet-proofing. Stack the filled bags about midway down the staircase to make a bunker. This will be your defensive position if people try to come into your house. Stack the bags about four feet high and as thick as possible.
• The group was cooking dinner and heard some plates break which alerted them that people were trying to get into their house. They all got into their bunker where firearms had been stored. The looters were shooting at them and they listened to how many shots had been fired. After about 15 rounds had been fired, you can assume that the looters will need to stop and reload. This is your opportunity to shoot back. An armed, aggressive response will deter most looters.
• The pandemic flu will go in a wave. At the crest of the wave, the most people will be sick then the number of cases will decline as people recover from the flu and thus develop an immunity to it and as vaccines become available.

Again, as I always say, this is an excellent way to learn some survival skills from the comfort of your own home. Watch the video then plan accordingly for your own survival needs should this kind of situation ever happen to you.

Down With the Flu

Last week the spouse was under the weather with a bad cold/flu. By day four I was secretly happy that this would be one of the rare times that the spouse would get sick but the bug would pass me by. By day five the spouse was feeling better but I was getting the first signs of a cold/flu, namely runny nose and sore throat. Bummer. The last few days I have been down with either a bad cold or mild flu (fever, chills, body aches, head ache, coughing...the works). Here's what I learned:

• Stuff to stock up on: kleenex, Thera-Flu, Tylenol, cough drops
• Food: you should always have enough food on hand so you don't need to go to the store to restock for at least a couple of weeks. Canned soup, canned or frozen broth, and other simple to prepare foods are a good choice when you feel so weak that you have to build up the energy to walk to the kitchen.
• Liquids. When I am sick, my main source of hydration and nutrition is liquid stuff--tea (no coffee, soda or milk), soup, broth, Tera Flu (because you have to mix it in a cup of hot water), and water. This serves many purposes. It keeps you from becoming dehydrated which will the affect your kidneys then vital organs, and may require a trip to the hospital to rehydrate via IV bag of fluids. Taking liquids helps to flush the bad stuff out of your system and it also gives your stomach less work to do by having less to digest.
• Your main task when you are sick: sleeping and resting. I think I took eight naps yesterday. There is no way to speed yourself through an illness but I seem to recover faster than the spouse because I basically sleep until I feel better whereas the spouse will take OTC meds to cover up the symptoms and try to continue on as normal.
• Don't spread your germs. Nearly every time I or the spouse is sick, the other will soon follow this is because cold and flu germs spread quickly between people thus the reason not to go to work or even leave your house until you are well again.

That's it. Surviving a cold or flu isn't rocket science, it is basically letting your body fight off the bug by helping it along with rest, liquid, and good basic nutrition (along with some meds to break the fever). Going to the hospital with a cold or flu is unnecessary unless you have very severe symptoms such as severe and prolonged vomiting or diarrhea (if it looks like blood or dark coffee grounds get to the hospital ASAP), difficulty breathing (not because you have a stuffy nose but because your lungs feel like they are working overtime just to get you a little air), or a very high temperature (101 degrees +) that Tylenol or Ibuprofen won't break.

H1N1 Update

I'm up to my elbows in H1N1 (pandemic influenza ie Swine flu) planning. Here's some things to consider:

• Nobody knows how this virus will shake out. It could be a mild flu season with the usual number of flu deaths or it could be a world-wide pandemic that kills millions.
• To date I haven't heard anything definitive about the H1N1 vaccine trials. Some have said there were no concerning side affects so production is going ahead, others have said the trials show that the vaccine may not work.
• A nice side affect if you had the flu recently (I was in Mexico a year ago and had the "can't get out of bed for a week, did you get the license of the truck that ran me over" flu) you may have some immunity to the seasonal and H1N1 flu.
• You may want to stock up on masks, tissue, tylenol, flu meds, etc. When the pan flu happened in our area this past spring, even hospitals were scouring stores for masks because suppliers were running out of them due to public panic and demand. The same thing will happen again if there is a major outbreak.
• Sign up for the CDC alerts. At least you will get up to date alerts about the flu emailed to you on a regular basis so you don't have to seek out the information.
• I also sign up for our state specific alerts (from public health and emergency management) so that I will have an idea of what is happening locally.
• If you or your associates have access to secure medical messaging (the CDC, military, and other health and research agencies have internal messaging systems to provide secure information on many topics including H1N1 to those who have the clearance to receive such messages) then you will be able to receive the latest info on what is happening in the upper echelons of flu research, planning, and preparedness.
• Do some simple things to protect yourself--wash your hands, cover your cough, and stay home when you are sick. Usually when you are planning for a disaster you want to take MAJOR action. Washing your hands sounds so mundane and boring however to stop the spread of viruses which are passed via person to person contact, it makes sense.
• Do the basic preps you would take to get ready for any disaster: have an emergency fund, be able to work from home if necessary, be able to conduct business such as banking online, have stored food and water (the more the batter), etc.
• Some technical details: the vaccine should be out in late October. It is thought to be a two-shot process but further research shows that only one vaccination may work. The priority list currently is children (6 months to 24 years old), pregnant women, first responders, and some with compromised immune systems.

More info will be posted as it develops...

Pandemic Flu Update

The main topic of the conference I am at this week is pandemic flu. Unfortunately the answers to many questions that people have about this topic is "we don't know." Not very reassuring.

What is the outlook for a more virulent strain of pandemic flu this fall? We don't know. When will the vaccine be ready? We don't know. What will be the target populations for the vaccine? We don't know but probably kids, first responders, and pregnant women. How much antivirals will be available (based on percentage of population)? We don't know (or we wont say, I'm guessing). What are the chances that the virus could mutate to the point that the current antivirals will be ineffective? We don't know.

I realize that the government is doing what it can in regards to the pan flu and planning for millions of people for an event that may or may not happen is difficult to say the least, however, being a few months out from what some researchers say may rival or surpass the 1918 flu and having the most widely shared piece of advice be to wash your hands and keep your distance from people is a bit concerning.

The government is not totally ineffective. During the first outbreak of pan flu this spring, distributions from the Strategic National Stockpile went as planned. There is a difference, however, between distributing enough of a product to more than meet the current need when the need at the time was confined to pockets of outbreak that didn't turn out to be nearly as virulent or deadly as what would happen during a 1918-type pandemic.

So I will keep you updated about this evolving situation as information becomes available but for now, the general answer to your pandemic flu questions is "we don't know."

DPT--Some Flu Preps You Can Do Now

Many people (and major health organizations) think that flu, possibly of the pandemic kind, will come back even more forcefully than we saw early this summer when the swine flu made an appearance. Just an idea, but if this is true than it only makes sense to start taking steps now to prepare for such an event. Some things you might want to stockpile now: masks, meds (the over the counter kind such as Thera Flu, Tylenol, aspirin, etc. Whether or not you stock prescription anti-virals is a personal decision), "sick kit" stuff (thermometer, cough drops, etc), more food for your emergency food supply, and more cash for your emergency fund in case you can not work for an extended period of time.

Historical Perspective of Influenza Preparedness

I came across this article on CNN today and it offers a number of preparedness options that we can consider for protecting ourselves from the flu:

• A big point in the article is that the spring flu was mild prior to the more lethal version that arrived in the fall. If this is the case, we have some time to get prepared.
• It looks like a vaccination could be developed prior to the fall that may offer protection from the more virulent form of the flu. Note that I am not a big fan of untried (meaning lots of studies done over time) vaccines.
• I liked the part about the town that closed itself off from the outside world for three and a half months. Could you isolate yourself for such a long period of time? Do you have the food, supplies, gear, income, and other resources to do such a thing?
• Social distancing works. Keeping your distance from others (ie: stay away from crowds such as at the ballpark, at school, or on airplanes) is an effective way to keep from getting close enough to others to catch their illness.
• Since there may be more time than first though to get prepared, consider ways you could set yourself up to be more isolated yet not so out of touch (ie: online bill paying, online banking, ways to work remotely from home, socializing online, etc).
• Developing good prevention habits also helps: wash your hands often (I think one lady in our office is going to wash her finger prints off she does this so often), be aware of how often you touch your face with your hands and try not to do this, cough/sneeze into the crook of your arm instead of into your hands, etc.

Pandemic Flu?

Unless you have been totally incommunicado over the weekend, you have probably heard that there is a swine flu outbreak which started in Mexico and is now spreading. As of this writing, there have been more than 80 deaths in the last couple of days attributed to this virus. I knew something was wrong when alerts from various health agencies started flooding my inbox--these people are notoriously cautious with alerts so that's an alert in itself that something is up. Here's my take on the situation:

• Don't panic. That's always my first piece of advice. The media likes to inspire panic in the masses because it raises ratings but until there is a reason to panic, don't.
• Get your news from a trusted source. I like Fox news because Dave Ramsey's show is on their network but if I am looking for medical information, I will go to the CDC's website. Other good sources of information can be found at your state and local health department websites and your state and local Department of Emergency Management websites. I also briefly scan the media (CNN, etc) as well as international media sources for new or unusual information on the topic.
• Know the basics about flu. There is the standard flu which makes you feel like you got ran over by a truck but does no permanent damage (this flu can and does kill people--usually the very young, the very old, or the already sick). Then there are the more virulent strains (Asian flu, bird flu, Hong Kong flu, swine flu). These types of flus can be mild or serious, and often spread quickly and easily. When a particular strain of flu is seen in a population with no immunity to it and passes quickly from person to person, you can get a pandemic. These types of flu can be deadly (usually due to respiratory problems) and often kill healthy 20-50 year olds. Flu vaccines often don't work for unusual strains of the flu virus which can mutate from animals (pigs, birds, monkeys) to humans, changing components of the virus as it goes.
• Passing the flu around. The flu is spread like other viruses, by contact with infected people. The infected person coughs or sneezes and the droplets from their nose or mouth can get onto other people causing them to become infected. Most often someone coughs into their hand, shakes hands with another person, the other person rubs their eye with their newly infected hand and "ta da" the virus has been spread.
• How to protect yourself. Keep your distance from people (you don't know if the healthy looking person you are talking to is infectious but at least if you are a few feet away from them, they can't sneeze on you). Wash your hands regularly. Don't touch your face with your hands. Don't spread your germs around to others. If you are sick, stay home so you won't infect others.
• Preparedness tips. Take extra precautions if you will be traveling in areas where outbreaks are occurring. Gather up your "flu meds" before you need them (Tylenol, thermometer, cough syrup, etc). In highly contagious areas or when caring for people infected with the flu, wear a mask.
• When to seek help. Like any medical situation, you should go to the hospital if you have severe, possibly life threatening symptoms including difficulty breathing, very high fever, dehydration, altered level of consciousness, etc.
• Pandemic concerns. When a flu spreads quickly and causes many deaths, you have a pandemic on your hands. This causes problems, including overwhelming the medical system (medical providers become ill which cuts the number of care providers, meanwhile so many people are sick that they overwhelm the hospital). Difficulty finding medication (over the counter medication may be bought up and hoarded; prescription meds such as Tamiflu will be in short supply and these can also be hoarded). The need for isolation and quarantine in order to keep sick people away from health people--this impacts the economy in many ways, especially when people can't work, can't earn money, then can't pay their bills. Should there be government enforcement of isolation or quarantine, you can image the havoc that will cause.
• What I'm doing. Nothing yet. Even at the height of the bird flu in Asia in 2005, I traveled through Asia with no problem. Currently I have no plans to travel to Mexico, and even if I did, I would be more worried about getting caught in the middle of the narco war than catching the flu. That said, I do keep a daily eye on what is happening. Should swine flu infections and deaths be reported in my area, I will take extra precautions. I have my emergency food and medical supplies ready to go. I can easily stay home for a couple of month with no problem (although if everyone did this, our economy would be in more of a shambles than it is now).
• Here's some more info: CDC swine flu guide. CDC Video. Caring for Someone With the Flu. Flu Care Information Sheets.

More information to follow should this situation become more serious...