Why We Should Worry About Bird Flu and Be Prepared

While the world is obsessed with Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith, the clock is ticking on a mutation of the avaian bird flu from human to human.

The global threat that made so much news a year ago seems to have been lost completely in other news of celebrity antics, and to be fair, the Iraq war.

This is all despite the fact that the bird flu is spreading. This week Russian health officials claim they had one of the worst outbreaks of bird flu in that country, with the virus nearly reaching the capital city of Moscow.

Today, officials in Afghanistan and Pakistan ordered the slaughter of hundreds of birds after a number of birds were found to be infected with the deadly H5N1 virus.

While a porky Al Gore jaunts around the world in his private, carbon gas polluting jet (oh yeah, he 'buys' carbon credits which make the pollution magically disappear) to give paid speeches that the world is going to end in 50 years due to global warming, a much more immediate threat quietly festers, spreading its threat of mutation all over the globe - from Canada to Turkey, Vietnam to Northern Europe.

So why then are we not talking about the bird flu, and the alarming fact that like Hurricane Katrina, we (as a community and country) are no where close to being prepared for a large-scale disaster of almost any level in just about any city in America, let alone the entire nation or the world.

U.S. Ambassador John Lange commented today that in his discussions with the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Margaret Chan, they agreed that the very limited supplies of bird flu vaccine need to be distributed more evenly worldwide to avoid a true pandemic like the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed 20 million people worldwide.

"We discussed the critical importance of sharing of samples in order to do risk assessment ... (and also) the need to facilitate broader and more equitable regional distribution of production capacity for influenza vaccine," he said. Notice that he did not say "if" or "potential".

"The threat of a pandemic virus is serious and it's expected to persist," Lange said.

They can show us all the blocks of ice dropping from glaciers that they want, but the truth is we are all more immediately threatened by things like a pandemic bird flu, food poisoning, a gigantic asteroid, hospital neglect, non-flu diseases, nuclear war or terrorism.

I am not saying global warming is not happening or does not pose a substantial threat to the future of mankind, but are we being distracted from more immediate threats?

There are of course conspiracy theorists who hypothesize (or truly believe) that the government doesn't want us to know the true level of the threat that a bird flu outbreak poses because it may cause panic, economic disruption and civilian uprisings.

I'm not sure I'd personally go that far, but it's clear from our past lessons that we cannot, and must not, rely on our government to help us. Even George W. himself said so last year after the White House announced a whopping $7 billion plan to figure out which government agencies would do what in the event of a nationwide flu epidemic.

Since it is clearer than crystal that we are all on our own if a flu pandemic or other major disaster occurs, have you thought out the possibilities and how you would protect you and your family? What have you done?

Many have done nothing, but do remember to lock the doors, close the gates, turn on the house alarm, install motion-detection lights, and even set up security cameras.

Other people have stocked candles, water, dry food, gas masks, non-battery powered flashlights and a radio, reusable face masks, water purification tablets and waterproof matches, etc. That's great.

But what about three months of food and water stored in a number of safe, accessible areas? What out stashing away cash, documents and keys in a safe place (such as in the bank and near your home) should something unpredictable happen?

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As you see, there are many considerations. For example, are you prepared for extreme climate conditions if there is no electricity?

Have you thought of alternatives to your SUVs and other vehicles if gas is not available or so expensive stations will be charging unbelievable rates until they dry up? Have you sat down and devised a plan for yourself or your family? Where to meet, where to go, what to do and so on.

This sounds like a paranoid rant of a crazy person, right? Nope, it's ultimate preparedness. Still insist it's paranoia? Well, just because your paranoid doesn't mean you don't have good reason to be.

PART TWO: Next Week: How To Help Prepare You and Your Family for Disaster.

Note: I worked for the American Red Cross for a number of years and responded to numerous disasters. I'd love to hear what you all have to say about this column. Simply click on the Comments link (you do not have to register to leave a comment, but they are moderated for abuse and spamming).

Labels: Bird Flu, Disaster Preparedness, H5N1, Home Safety, Influenza Pandemic, White House Bird Flu Plan

posted by Googe | 4:25 PM | 0 comments links to this post