Every once in a while, we hear a bunch of rumbling on the news about a possible pandemic outbreak or a chemical attack like sarin gas or anthrax.  Sometimes the news talks about nuclear reactors having problems – like yesterday in San Diego.  These are real threats that could happen because of accidents, terrorism or simply an attack on us by another country.  What are you doing to be prepared for this possibility?   Most importantly, do you even know what you should be doing?

If you’ve already looked into prepping for these threats, you’ve likely discovered that there’s not a lot of straight forward and clear answers to questions.

Want to get some REAL information on Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) Preps?  Have you tried to decide which gas mask you should be purchasing for your family?  Or wondered if you need to get other protective gear for potential quarantine and survival of a serious pandemic outbreak?

So have we!

We think we know a lot of the answers to these questions – but we decided to get it RIGHT!  So, we’ve arranged for Robert Goepp, a career Hazmat expert and instructor, to join us on the show.  Robert has done Hazmat work in the Military, for the Fire Dept, and for DHS and probably a few other places he can’t tell us about.   You can read a lot more about him here.

Come join us LIVE TONIGHT and ask him any and all questions you may have regarding Hazmat and NBC Preps!

During the PLC show, you can follow this link and participate in the live chat – and ask questions during the show.  You can also call us live and talk directly to Robert.

You won’t want to miss this one!  It’s not always easy to get a true expert in this area to talk to you.

Friday, February 3rd 2012, at 6 pm MST (tonight) the Preparedness Learning Center Podcast/Radio Show broadcasting LIVE with Robert Goepp of Midwest Safety Associates.

While stories of fear and death may motivate someone in the short term, its effects will not last and will not produce the change of lifestyle required for someone to truly be prepared. Being seen as a conspiracy theorist and a radical nut-job will also not help your efforts to convert friends and family, or worse, progress towards larger efforts for larger subjects nationally and across the world. Regardless of what you believe, where you stand, or which way you lean politically, your actions contribute to the perceived image of a prepper. Whether it’s individual rights, big-brother, small government, war, or the current battle over health care, the way you contribute to the conversation has a dramatic effect over the conversation.

Speaking out is important but not if your words produce a negative effect. Even if you are trying to encourage people to believe something, to wake up and see the urgency and importance of political, preparedness, or economic issues currently at hand, simply presenting your message is not enough. Saying it eloquently is not enough. You have to know what you are talking about. Brains always beats brawn. Strategy and wits always win over force and forgery. Smear campaigns, fear, uncertainty, and doubt are for those that are afraid, not those that are certain in their convictions.

Understandably, there is a lot of talk circulating the internet about swine flu. Pandemics cycle every twenty to thirty years and we are well due for another. While the actual results of the flu have yet to be catastrophic, the speed at which this strain has spread is to be noted. Unfortunately however, there has been a significant amount of rumors, assumptions, half-truths, and even lies spread about the outbreak. It’s understandable that people are scared and that issues related to health and even death are sensitive topics, but it is paramount that we do our part at distinguishing between fact and fiction and helping the community to prepare mentally and physically for what may come.

In the paragraphs that follow, I would like to address several rumors and lies about swine flu (and vaccines in general) currently circulating.

“The swine flu vaccine being developed is based off of Tamiflu and Tamiflu is known to cause serious side effects in children.”

I have searched and searched for any proof that the swine flu vaccine is based off of Tamiflu and have found nothing to substantiate this. Everywhere I have read it has also contained no source for the claim.

“The swine flu vaccination program in the seventies caused paralysis and death!”

Guillain-Barré Syndrome is not unique to vaccinations. In fact, there is a rate of occurence of .75 – 2 out of 100,000 annually in the U.S. In one half to two-thirds of those cases a cold or a gastrointestinal bug proceed the onset of the syndrome. Although the specific cause of GBS has not been identified, it is highly speculated that it is caused by exposure to viruses of many kinds. Not to minimize the effects of this syndrome (as they can be serious), with proper treatment, most gain full recovery. But please note that the flu is a virus and, according to what researchers speculate causes GBS, potentially could initiate a case of GBS in and of itself. (Medical/Surgical Nursing, Black and Hawke, 7th edition, pgs 2181-2182.)

While it is true that 500 cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome were reported following the 1976 swine flu vaccination program and there were 25 deaths, the odds with the vaccine are definitely in your favor. The CDC reports that an average of 36,000 people die each your from the flu in the United States. The number was last updated in 2008. If we adjust for the population in 1976 of 218,035,164, then we can assume that there should have been approximately 26,000 deaths from the flu that year. So, with the vaccine, you stood a 1 in 264,285 chance of dying, but without it you stood a 1 in 8,385 chance of dying anyway. And, the swine flu was a pandemic and not the seasonal flu, so it’s probably even safe to assume that those numbers are conservative.

Additionally, what if the CDC’s numbers are inflated as some believe? The death rate would have to be as low as a meager 1,000 for the ratio to break even. The claim is that out of the 36,000 deaths, only about 250 were the flu and the remaining were pneumonia. I believe the division of statistics between pneumonia and flu to be short-cited however since they are only counting the terminating cause of death. The flu is a respiratory illness. Pneumonia is usually a secondary illness to another cause. Influenza was likely the primary infection in those cases, with progression to pneumonia. Yes, in the end the final diagnosis would be pneumonia. However, the trip getting there was by means of a catalyst, in this case influenza.

“More people have died from the flu vaccine than the flu itself since the flu of 1918.”

I have searched and searched and found nothing to validate this claim. Even if in a particular year there were more deaths do to side effects from the vaccine, the statistic would be worthless since it is impossible to account for all of the potential deaths that could have occurred without vaccination.

“Vaccines cause autism in children.”

There is an ongoing accusation that vaccines cause autism in children and that there is a secret movement by the government and the drug companies to hide evidence. Some of the source for this controversy is due to a council that was held in 2000 where a CDC epidemiologist named Tom Verstraeten presented a report that he had compiled which proved the ill effects of vaccines. It turns out however that he faked the data, as reported here, here, and here. A federal court also ruled in February that vaccines were not to blame for autism and that the evidence was “weak, contradictory and unpersuasive. The substantial consensus of scientists and doctors also says something; you can’t have that many people in on a conspiracy.

While there are those that still choose to believe this, I believe that it is foolish. As Matt Lambie wrote: “Unfortunately, autism traditionally strikes children between the ages of one and two. It’s around this time that a bunch of vaccinations are typically administered. For about the last decade parents that needed to blame something for their children’s illness sought refuge in attacking “big pharma.” Hopefully this will stop now that the main proponent of this disinformation has been proven completely and absolutely fraudulent.”

“The swine flu vaccine has not been properly tested and the pharmaceutical companies have no reason to properly test them since they have been granted immunity by the government.”

While I don’t agree with a blanket immunity for the vaccine manufactures, how is the immunity for the current swine flu any different from the immunity covering all of the other vaccines administered these past three decades? People mention the “history of side effects,” but without details and documentation I’m going to have to call their error once again, citing the statistics and odds I provided above.

“The WHO and the U.S. government are going to make the vaccination mandatory.”

There is no proof that they are planning on or even considering making the vacine mandatory. I have searched and searched for any proof of this and have found none. You may believe it and you are entitled to, but state that it is your opinion. Everywhere I have read it has also contained no source for the claim besides other sites without sources.

“The vaccine contains known dangerous components.”

Several sites have published lengthy lists of chemicals that are supposedly being “cooked up” in the vaccine and mention how these drugs are used in everything from crop dusting to birth control with side effects that are leaving women sterile. The ingredients are not unique to the swine flu vaccine. They are found in all vaccines (in various combinations and quantities). You have to take into consideration the quantities, purpose, and application of each of these however. Of course they are going to be toxic in levels large enough to dust crops. Carrots would probably even give you cancer if you that’s all you ate. Remember: “moderation in all things.” I’m not saying that vaccines are without risk, but once again, consider the statistics and odds I provided above.

“The vaccine manufacturers could not produce an accurate vaccine because the current strain is still evolving and is resistant to existing vaccinations.”

Every strain of flu is continually evolving and resistant to the vaccinations of previous years. This is the reason that the flu vaccine is not as effective as other vaccines (such as Polio) and why they have to rush it to market so quickly. This is also the reason that the strain that the U.S. seasonal flu vaccine is built from is based off of what is occurring in Australia, as their seasons are mismatched from ours and it gives us a little bit of a head-start.

“The current swine flu vaccine is being based off of the 1918 Spanish Flu.”

This claim requires a little common sense applied. Why would researchers use a strain of flu that is not the currently circulating flu, when it is certainly much easier to get a sample of the current flu virus?

“Drug companies, such as Baxter, somehow knew about the 2009 swine flu a year in advance, as evident by a patent filing for a vaccine preceding the outbreak.”

The claim that Baxter knew about the virus before it manifested itself is silly. The only thing that I can figure people are basing this claim on is that the word H1N1 is found within the text of the patent. The term H1N1 refers to a subtype of influenza A however and is not unique to this year’s flu. Some strains of H1N1 are endemic in humans and cause a small fraction of all influenza-like illness and a large fraction of all seasonal influenza. And “H1N1″ will therefore also refer to all pandemics of said subtype, such as the Russian flu of 1889-1890, the Spanish flu of 1918, and the Swine flu of 1976.

In conclusion, I am not proposing that there are no risks associated with vaccinations. I personally have not had a flu shot in many years, but I am very healthy and in my prime. I do believe that the world is a better place because of the medical advancements that we have been blessed with however and family members that are ill, the seniors I love, and my children will most assuredly continue to receive regular vaccinations. Many of us would not be here today due to polio alone were it not for these great medicines. It is up to each of us to decide whether we choose to take the vaccine, but please do your homework and base your decisions on sound logic, and valid research.

Yesterday

There is a lot of good information out there about Pandemic Preparedness.  We’ve written several carefully researched articles about Pandemic Preparedness and in order to make them more convenient to our readers, we’ve put together a glossary to try to make finding that information easier.  If you know of any pages that have a lot of valuable information on H1N1 (Swine Flu), Pandemic Preparedness or Quarantines, please leave us a link so we can add it to our list.

Utah Prepper’s Posts

• Background Information on the Swine Flu and Preparedness basics
• A basic breakdown of different filtration masks
• Building a ‘Pandemic Go Kit’ for your Vehicle and EDC
• How to make your own Hand Sanitizer
• Quarantine Prep – Building a Pandemic Quarantine Kit to keep in your vehicle or at home and Detailed Information on Masks
• Avoiding Cabin Fever during Quarantine and other Quarantine Preparedness issues
• The wisdom of prepping NOW for Pandemic and Quarantine

Good links outside of Utah Preppers:

• WHO H1N1 Pandemic Information Page
• CDC H1N1 Information Page (including outbreak counts for U.S.)
• Utah Epidemiology H1N1 Page
• U.S. Government H1N1 Page
• KSL.com stories on Swine Flu

The main thing to keep in mind about Pandemic Preparedness is that it’s all about getting to an isolated location safely where you can quarantine yourself – IF it gets that bad.  Right now H1N1 (Swine flu) really is running pretty rampant and it’s only going to get exponentially more common.  It has already affected several groups here in Utah including The MTC, EFY, BSA Camps and several families.

The main thing we want to emphasize here is Be Smart, Prepare, and Don’t Panic!

Hopefully everyone has taken this opportunity to do just that – consider the possible worst situation, review your preps and fill holes.  Whatever the truth of the situation is, we can all know for ourselves if we were ready and, if you weren’t, if you are ready now!  Have you taken the time in the last week to consider just what Pandemic Preparedness means for you?  We’ve presented a couple scenarios here on the site and offered some ideas for Pandemic Preps.  Hopefully they’ve been helpful.  Now I would like to explore deeper down the Preparedness Rabbit Hole with you – and wander the quarantine branches of Pandemic Preparedness.

What EXACTLY is the point of Pandemic Preparedness?  What are we trying to protect ourselves from?  The simplest answer I can come up with is: We’re trying to NOT get ourselves or our family sick.  For each one of us this will mean something very different.  Our family make-up, our home, the location of our home, our work, kids in school, church responsibilities, etc.  I want to explain a bit about my status of all these things to put my prep ideas/plans in context.

Many of you know I have a 3 year old with Leukemia.  This means her immune system is compromised.  In her life we are actually already into a semi-quarantine; we practice social distancing, we are sensitive to germs, cleanliness, and sanitation.  She is comfortable and used to wearing an N95 mask, we are always wary when someone around us is sick, we rarely take her in very public places, we wipe down (sanitize) shopping carts before we put her in them.  Because of her situation, I have two primary goals in my Pandemic Preps.  1) Keep her from getting infected  and 2)Keep any family members from infecting her.  Here is the rest of my personal environment.  I live in a 2 story house, the basement is designed as a separate apartment; there is a kitchen, laundry room and 3 bedrooms down there, with a separate outside entrance.  I live in the country on 50 acres and there are very few people around us.  I have 8 children, 7 of whom live at home.

So, your plan will need to be tailored to your situation, but now you can understand mine and hopefully this post will give you some ideas for your quarantine plans.  The scenario I’m working with here is one of my kids (not Serenity, my Cancer Chic) getting sick or showing symptoms of being sick.  Isolation of the sick person from Serenity (and the rest of the kids so it doesn’t spread) is the objective here.

Quarantine Plan

The entire basement will immediately become the sick ward.  The air vents, doorways and the upstairs entrance to the basement  will be sealed off with 6 mil plastic to deter air flow.  The window to the sick room will be open to allow fresh air circulation.  I plan to get a UV Air filtration system to use in the basement as well.  The sick person will be confined to a bedroom while in the house and will be allowed to play outside in a designated area that the other children will not be allowed to go to.  The bathroom will become a decon room to dress and undress for entry into the sick rooms.  The basement laundry room will be the only place the sick person and caretakers laundry will be done.  All dishes used by the sick person will be washed in the sink downstairs.  The sick person will be required to wear an N95 mask anytime someone is in the room with them, anyone going into the room will need full protective gear on (more on that in a minute).  The sick rooms will be sanitized twice a day including changing and washing all linens on the bed.  All paper trash (kleenexes, etc) that is able will be burned in our fire pit daily.  All other trash will be collected into a garbage bags and disposed of twice daily.  To make this quarantine plan work requires several specific preps.

Sanitation Preparedness

In another post I discussed a couple methods of making your own sanitizer.  I also have a lot of cleaning supplies stored up as part of my regular preps.  You can see many of them in this picture.

When thinking about cleaning preps, be sure to consider that you’ll likely be cleaning several areas at least a couple times a day.  You should have enough cleaner stored to handle doing this for at least a couple weeks to a couple months.  Think about needing to sanitize all of the following more than once a day: floors, walls, linens, dishes, clothes, toys, toothbrushes, bodies, etc.

Pandemic Preparedness Gear

I previously posted about my personal and vehicle Pandemic Go-Kits and discussed the preps I’ve taken there.  This next kit is another Go-Kit but is meant for being able to take care of someone sick whether you’re at home or bugged out somewhere else.  Here is my Pandemic 72 hour kit:

From left to right, front to back, here are the contents:

• Front Row
  • Replacement razor blades
  • Sanitizer spray
  • Razor blade knife
  • Battery powered shaver
  • Flashlight
  • P95 replacement cartridges
• 2nd Row
  • Pack of 10 N95 masks with exhale valves
  • Industrial gloves
  • Shoe covers
  • Tyvex chemical suit with hood (2)
• Back Row
  • 3rd Tyvex Suit
  • Face Shield
  • P95 Respirator
  • Goggles
  • Lysol Disinfectant Wipes
  • Alcohol Wipes

The knife and flashlight are tools that can be left in the contaminated area and used easily with bulky gear on.  The shaver is to remove facial hair if needed so that masks can achieve a good face seal, it is specifically battery powered instead of electric/rechargeable in case power is not readily available.  N95 masks are for the patient disinfectant wipes and spray are for the reusable mask and other gear and for wiping up in the sick room.

Here’s what this very unflattering gear looks like on:

This gear setup isn’t perfect – or final for that matter – and much of it was bought this last week.  Yes, I was surprised to find that I was not properly prepared for a Pandemic but have made sure this week that I have the minimum of what I needed.

I plan to find and purchase several washable bio suits – I’m looking for ones with booties and a hood built into them.  This is very close to what I’m looking for.  Currently, the filters I have for my respirator are 95% (like N95) filters – meaning they miss 5%.  I’m planning on getting N100 filters to replace them.  I’ll be doing that in the next week or two.  The critical part for me is that I have the minimum preps required to implement my plan.

More Mask Information

I also want to pass on some further information I found this week.  By now we’ve all heard of N95 masks, what you may not have heard of yet are P95 and R95 masks.  With mask supplies acting like ammunition lately N95 masks have become rather scarce.  However, most hardware stores still have decent supplies in their painting and tool safety sections.  What you’ll find there though are N95, P95 and R95 masks.  When I first saw this I wasn’t sure what the other two were or if they would work for me.  What I found out about NIOSH ratings is this: N = Not resistant to oil, R = Resistant to oil, P = oil Proof.  The 95, 99 and 100 rating are the filtration levels.  The prefixed letter is the oil filtration rating.  What this means is that any Nx, Px, Rx rated mask will work for you as a pandemic filtration mask.  95% filters are good enough to get you home, but for in home care I want a 100% filter.  Here’s a pdf that explains all this.

Hopefully this post will give you some good ideas for considering your own pandemic quarantine preps.  Remember, the main thing to gain from the swine flu outbreak to this point is a good understanding of how well prepped you are for a Pandemic! Don’t miss Angela’s excellent post on avoiding Cabin Fever during quarantine!

Have you gained a new perspective on pandemic preps from the current outbreak?  Have you considered quarantine preparedness?

Why do it with household products?  There are a couple answers to this.  First, thriftiness kind of goes with prepping – or maybe it’s more like stretching our dollars since we spend SO MANY of them on preps!  By buying large quantities of the base products for sanitization we’re also getting the base products for several other important preps – namely medical.  If we get large quantities of the base stuff, we can put off determining their use based on our needs.  We can also save money this way – buying bulk amounts of hand sanitizer is more expensive than buying bulk amounts of the ingredients for it!  For some there is also a question of whether harsh additives have been added to their sanitizer that they do not want.  By making it ourselves, we can be sure of what is going into it.  Besides, prepping is all about self-reliance, right?!

Sanitizer Spray

You can kill most any germs, without leaving a dangerous residue, with a binary spray.  White Vinegar and 3% Hydrogen Peroxide both kill germs.  Simply fill one spray bottle with white vinegar and another with hydrogen peroxide.  Spray whatever you need sanitized with one, then with the other.  Individually these two kill large numbers of germs, combined they function as well as or better than commercial sanitizing spray.

NEVER NEVER mix them both into the same bottle though – this will create Peracetic Acid – which is useless to clean with, is corrosive, and can hurt you!

You could also fill a third bottle with bleach and zap something with all 3 of them if you wanted to be REALLY sure you had killed everything possible.  But the bleach will discolor things and is potentially harmful if ingested.

So, for sanitizer spray store:

• White Vinegar
• 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
• Unscented Bleach (if desired)

If you notice in that list, those items can be used for several other things as well!  Here are some links for further reading on this.

Hand Sanitizing Gel

This has been an interesting experiment and learning experience.  I set out a couple days ago to figure out how to make hand sanitizer at home.  With an immune fragile child in our home, we sanitize a LOT!  After doing copious amounts of research and extended experimentation last night, I believe I have found a reliable and effective way to make hand sanitizer at home.  First, some background:

To be effective, hand sanitizers MUST contain a minimum of 60% alcohol by concentration.  Alcohol kills germs by dessication, meaning that it dries them out through rapid evaporation.  A lower concentration of alcohol results in not having enough alcohol to rapidly evaporate and dry out the microbes on your hands.  There are many recipes on the internet that result in an over-dilluted mixture which will prove to be very ineffective at killing germs.  Here are two really good articles to read on this: One from the New York Times and one from the CDC.

The recipe and method we have come up with for Do-It-Yourself home-made hand sanitizing gel is as follows:

• 5 cups 91% Isopropyl Alcohol
• 2 cups 100% pure Aloe Gel

Notice that the ingredients for this are also useful for lots of other things?

This results in an alcohol concentration of roughly 63% (being more precise requires using tenths of a cup in measurement).  You can add essential oils as desired for scent.  There are some essential oils that add germ killing ability such as tea tree oil but I have no idea what the diluted effectiveness would be or what quantity you would need them in.

Making Hand Sanitizer Gel at Home

A Pictorial

Start by measuring out your Aloe into a mixing bowl.

Add in your alcohol

Mix at high speed – we found it works best to have a cute Cancer Chic run the mixer for you :)

Mix for several minutes, the solution will begin to gel

The aeration of the mixture is extremely important to getting the consistency correct.  You should she bubbles all throughout the mixture.

The end mixture is thicker than water, but not extremely thick.

Once you’ve gotten the mixture to gel and achieve a constant consistency, you can pour it into containers for storage and use.

So with a potential pandemic from the swine flu and the resulting potential quarantine, with the need to have sanitizer in your EDC, BOB and 72 Hour kits, make sure you have plenty of these base components stored so you can use them as needed!  I suggest storing the base components and using sanitization as a great way to rotate these items.  Peroxide, bleach and alcohol all have couple year shelf lives, using them as regular household cleaners is a great way to keep them fresh!  (Look for our upcoming post on lots more uses for vinegar and peroxide!)

First, to masks.  I previously recommended that everyone have several N95 masks in their preps.  Having talked with several prepping experts today including a couple who sell masks, I have some additional recommendations for you.

N95 Masks

First, the consensus is still that N95 masks are completely satisfactory to have in your preps.  The main issues with N95 Masks are regarding donning the mask.  Several points were made to me about this today.  First, when you don the mask, you MUST make sure that there is a good seal of the mask to your face.  This usually means adjusting the nose bridge so that it fits properly on your face.  If you don’t have a good seal then the mask is useless to you.  Second, make SURE that your hands are clean and sanitized before you handle the mask.  If you have the virus on your hands and then touch the inside of your mask to put it on, you’re just putting the virus right in your airway.  Finally, and this is something we learned some time ago, for children – you can cut the bottom of the adult N95 mask off to custom fit it to your child’s face.  This is actually what my wife and I were taught to do by the Oncologists for our daughter with Leukemia.  You can order N95 masks from this link (or lots of other places as well).

N99 Masks

N99 masks are more expensive than N95 masks.  They do a slightly better job of killing viruses and (from what I’ve learned today) they tend to adjust and fit better on your face.  The picture above is of someone wearing an N99 mask.  You can order N99 masks from this link (or lots of other places as well).

Triosyn T-5000-V Respirator Mask

The Triosyn mask is a much more expensive solution but is a proactive approach.  They have an antimicrobial protection system built into them, are fluid resistant, have an activated carbon layer to filter out odors and a one way valve ventilation system.  The ventilation system makes it easier to wear for extended periods of time because it is much easier to exhale from.  It also has an inner seal along with two adjustable head straps and an adjustable nose piece.  It has about a 5 year shelf life and is good for 24 hours of use.  It is one of the only masks that actually kills viruses instead of just filtering them out.  You can order them through this link (or lots of other palces as well).

Panic Buying

The panic buying has already started.  Here in Utah, many stores are already out of them.  I went by a couple stores today and they were sold out, while I was at Wal-Mart looking 3 other people came to where I was looking for masks.  Many online vendors (including the ones I’ve talked to today)  are reporting that they have had a HUGE demand the last couple days and are sold out.  They also said that they fully expect to be re-stocked within the next 48 hours.  Masks are the new ammunition – they’re going to be pretty tough to find before too long!  With all the links above, I would do what I could to find out from a site whether they had masks in stock before I placed an order with them.

Masks in General

Let’s put all this in perspective.  What do you need masks for anyway?  There a only a couple COMMON times you’ll need them during a Pandemic:

• In Public
  • Anytime you are out in public during an actual pandemic/epidemic (which point we are NOT to yet!) you will want to be wearing a mask, eye protection and possibly gloves.  You’ll also want to be armed with sanitizing spray and wash.
• Initial Quarantine
  • If you start an in home quarantine then you will want everyone to wear masks and take serious protective precautions for the first 48 hours.  This is to identify whether anyone in the quarantine is already infected and is going to come down sick.  Once you’ve determined that nobody in the quarantine is a carrier you should be safe to un-mask but should still maintain very sanitary practices.
• Around someone sick
  • If you have to work around someone who is sick (i.e. a member of your quarintine contracts the virus – like your child) you will want to take multiple precautions.  Isolate the person in a seperate room, hang heavy plastic over the doorway to prevent active airflow, don protective gear including mask, goggle, gloves, apron, shoe covers anytime you must enter the room.

Again, these are the most common times you’ll need a mask.  If you live in an area that has had a breakout, I would wear a mask anytime I was out in public.  If you initiate a quarantine, once you’ve gone through the first 48 hours you should be fine in your home without a mask and even outside – as long as you are not near other people.  My perspective is kind of skewed since I live in the country – there are very few people here.  If I quarantine I fully expect I’ll be out working on my garden most of the time. :)

Generally speaking, little kids DO NOT like to wear masks!  (we have some personal experience with this) I would advise you to tell your kids that you’re going to teach them about some current events and some plans in case certain things happen.  Have them wear a mask while you’re talking, make it last about an hour.  Have a fantastic dessert for them if they keep their mask on.  Then do it for half an hour each day for the next five days.  By this point they won’t freak out about the mask, they won’t fight it quite as much.

Sanitizing

Anytime you’ve handled something that might have exposed your hands to the virus, you should vigorously scrub your hands – preferably with anti-bacterial soap.  You should be using an alcohol based sanitizer pretty much anytime you handle something that might have been exposed – door handles, paper, hand rails – anything someone might have sneezed on or touched after sneezing.  Again, this is only if you are in an at-risk situation like a breakout in your state.

Other ways you can sanitize are to get spritzer spray bottles and fill one with isopropyll alcohol and another with bleach.  Spraying things like door handles with either or both of these will kill most germs.

Utah status

Since we’re a Utah blog we’ll discuss the status of the outbreak in Utah.  As of now, Utah has not had any reported cases of the Swine Flu.   The state CDC directors and other government officials have met to review Utah’s action plan should cases be found here – here is an official statement from them.  They stress that currently Utah is in an “emergency PREPAREDNESS” stage, not an actual Emergency stage.  As of now, no schools have been closed or are planning to close.   They do advise the following though:

They’re asking people with respiratory symptoms to stay at home but to go to a doctor if they have the serious hallmarks of flu — like a fever, muscle aches, exhaustion, chills, sweats and headaches –not just a cold.
“Well, I think you have to use common sense. You know we’re subject to colds, to respiratory illnesses all the time. I think though, if I were running a fever, had muscle aches and felt unusually tired along with a respiratory illness, yeah, I’d go to the doctor,” Dr. Sundwall said.

World Status

As of right now in the U.S. NOBODY has died from the virus.  Many have come down with it but they’re being reported as “mild cases”.  However, as of right now 103 people have died in Mexico from the swine flu.

There is so much going on with this worldwide that any status would be outdated as soon as I posted it.  There are a few good resources to check out though. 

• Breaking News Online’s Twitter feed is a really good source of worldwide pandemic status.  I suggest following them if you use Twitter.
• The World Health Organization’s Disease Outbreak News
• You can also follow Healthmap for updates on swine flu outbreaks.  They also have a great map of where diseases have been reported.
• You can also follow Veratect, a lab monitoring the swine flu, on Twitter for early info.
• Whether you use twitter or not, you can track the #swineflu hashtag here – this will tell show you any tweets posted using #swineflu
• This interactive timeline map will give you an ongoing history tracking outbreaks of swine flu
• This Google Map shows where in the world outbreaks have been reported (zoom all the way out to see the world)
• First hand experiences of the swine flu from Mexico

Don’t Panic, Just Prepare!

There seems to be a lot of fear out there about this, the news seems to be feeding that fear.  The information in the last section of this post could be scary.  But we need not panic!  We’re Preppers, we look to things like this as stuff we thought might happen!  The purpose of this post is NOT to scare you.  It’s merely to help you get prepared for what might come.  We’re trying to provide you with information so that you don’t have to be scared.

The prudent thing to do right now is review your preps – make sure you’re ready for an extended stay at home.  If you have to self-quarantine at home, are you ready to be there for a while?  What if this virus mutates and turns into a pandemic?  Are you prepped for the grid to go down?  Are you prepped for other services to be interrupted?  Take inventory, make sure your 3 month supply is fully stocked.  Make sure you have fuel, food, water and pandemic preps.  Have a family action plan in case there is a breakout in your area.

Always, always remember: If you are prepared, you SHALL NOT FEAR!  As Preppers we’re ready for this – whether it happens or not.

See all of our Pandemic Preparedness / Swine Flu posts here.

With the current Swine Flu scare coming out of Mexico and popping up here and there in the United States, it is prudent to become familiar with the situation and especially prudent to review your Pandemic Preparedness Level.  I should also stress that this is a “DON’T PANIC, Just Prepare!” post.  So first, let’s get to know the player – what is the swine flu?  Well, it’s just a variant of the “flu” that makes the rounds and gets passed around every year.  Thing is, this variant doesn’t typically pass to humans so there is not an anti-virus in production or even made yet.  Don’t take it from me though, and don’t take it from the ‘news’.  Here are links to the CDC info and briefs on this situation:

• Swine Flu Brief
• Key facts about Swine Influenza
• Human Swine Influenza Investigation
• This is a vid-cast from the CDC about the swine flu outbreak

Some quick anti-panic notes from the above sources:

• Swine flu CANNOT be transmitted by food.  Eating pork does NOT put you at risk.
• This is NOT the first time the ‘swine flu’ has transmitted to humans.  It’s happened several times before without it becoming a pandemic.
• This variant of swine flu, as with any flu, is a virus and primarily spread person-to-person through coughing or sneezing.
• This is just a flu!  The key here is to NOT GET IT, since there is not currently an anti-viral for it.

Quick notes about prevention:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.

• Try to avoid close contact with sick people. If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth because germs can spread that way.

Now, let’s talk a bit about Pandemic Preparedness.

We’ve linked to this before, here is an excellent resource on Pandemic Preparedness from the LDS Church.  In the case of a true Pandemic outbreak in your area, the most important thing is to be prepared to Shelter In.  This means having enough food/water/supplies to keep you and your family inside at your home for possibly several weeks.  You don’t want to be caught in a store-run in a pandemic outbreak!  You need to make sure you are prepared for that possibility ahead of time.  If you have your 3 month supply of everything at home already, then Peace is yours in this situation!

Other Pandemic specific things to make sure you have an excellent supply of:

N-95 Masks

These masks are different from regular dust masks or other types of masks.  They are rated to help stop the spread of viruses.  You should have enough in your preps to provide a new one to every member of your family every day for at least 2 weeks.  They can be purchased at most stores that include a pharmacy, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, WalGreens, etc.  Generally they are a little pricey but are necessary for your preps.

Medical Gloves

You should have several hundred pair of medical gloves in your preps.  These are needed if someone in your family gets sick and you have to self-quarantine.  Anytime you touch anything that a sick person has been around, you need to be wearing gloves.  You can buy these at the same places you buy N-95 masks.  They are a lot cheaper than the masks though.

Alcohol-based Hand Sanitizer

Even though you’re wearing gloves all the time, you should have lots of alcohol based sanitizers in your preps.  You should have them in your day bag, your go bag, your 72-hour kits and your regular preps.  You should also have lots of anti-bacterial soap as well.

Other Preps

To be prepared to take care of someone infected in your home, you should also have the following in your preps (these preps will be for the single person providing care for the sick person, you do not need to have enough of these supplies for everyone in the family to wear constantly):

• Disposable surgical gowns
• Disposable shoe covers
• Goggles or face shield
• Bleach (to clean surfaces and items touched by a sick person)
• Supplies to boil water (to sanitize dishes and other items used by sick person)

I can’t stress enough how important Pandemic Preparedness is.  The worst possible thing you could do in a Pandemic outbreak is rush to the store with thousands of potentially sick people and try to fight them all to buy supplies to shelter in.  The only rushing you want to do in a Pandemic situation is rush home – and stay there.

Make sure you have N-95 masks and hand sanitizer in your Day Bag, Office Kit, Car Kit, Go Bag and 72 Hour kits!  Keep a good supply of sanitizing materials in your preps at home and

Don’t Panic!

UPDATE: Follow-up post with more mask information here.