OK, I am truly not a paranoid person (really!), but the news today from Indonesia where 7 people in one family have died is promting me to share a bit of info I have from a very credible source. Below is info from a friend (yes, someone I actually do know) who works for the Feds as an information specialist in charge of public information. They are, indeed, preparing for bird flu in this country. Stock up, Ladies!

Here's the note:

It's not a slam dunk that it will happen (if so probably late summer) . . . but if this doesn't happen, something similar will. We're due for a pandemic.

Three things scare me. First, our immune systems won't really help us much. That's why 1 out of 2 people who get it are dying. Second, if indeed we identify any successful vaccines or anti-viral medications, the supply will be tiny. Third, someone can be infected between 2 to 8 days before showing symptoms.

The time to get serious is when either of the following occurs:

Human to human transmission
Bird flu shows up in North America

Those two warning signs should trigger a few things:

1. Stop all unnecessary travel.
2. Wash your hands frequently . . . and stop shaking hands in business meetings and other settings
3. Stockpile some supplies . . . If there is widespread absenteeism, infrastructure can start to suffer, i.e. power, phones or water could go out. We're planning to have a 3 week supply of canned goods, plus one gallon of water per day per person for 3 weeks.

Your best and maybe only defense will be limiting contact. Hate to sound alarmist, but if a pandemic breaks out, it could get very, very ugly.

Anyone remember the Swine Flu?

The World Health Organization scared us all to death. They predicted doom and gloom. The pharmaceutical industry acquired government funding and rushed to develop a vaccine. The World Health Organization promoted it. It made millions for the pharmaceutical Company. A few people got the vaccine. It caused severe nerve dammage to many of the recipeints.

The swine flu epidemic never happened.

If there's something we can do about bird flu, we should do it, but unnecessary fear leads to chaos.

smile

[ May 24, 2006, 10:57 PM: Message edited by: smilinize ]

Smilinize,

Thanks for the response.

I agree with you!

Panic is not good ... being prepared is good.

My intention was the latter, not the former. Please know that.

I hear you. Panic is a destructive thing. My comments are based on being a representative to the World Health Organization when I was only in my early twenties. I think they knew it was a hoax and only intended to funnel money to select pharmaceutical companies. Later I met a surgeon paralyzed in his right arm from the vaccine.

I have a degree of concern about the bird flu, and many of the preparations you listed are good practices in general, but I will not allow bird flu to become a fear.

With all the bad news bombarding us on a daily basis, it seems we are constantly panicked about something. We can't live in fear.

At some point we simply become fatiqued with impending disaster and we don't respond to real threats.

smile

P.S. I'm watching Nightline which is about the recent bird flu fatalities. I noticed the WHO physician said there is only a "suspicion" that the disease spread from human to human. (Human to human infection is necessary for it to become an epidemic.)

They said there have been 218 cases and 124 deaths. Until this one all have been confirmed bird to human which is worrisome, but will most likely not lead to a pandemic. They say we should be aware of the situation, but not do anything yet.

[ May 25, 2006, 09:10 AM: Message edited by: smilinize ]

BethyB, welcome. Great to have you onboard. And thanks for sharing this information.

I find it sad to see so many elderly living in fear, especially since nine eleven. I think they have too much free time and fill the hours with watching television. When you are bombarded with all the bad possibilities and real live sad news stories, it's no wonder they are living in fear.

Well I for one am more concerned about an FBI sharing info! eeek! Was this info for public consumption BettyB? AND WELCOME! Where are my manners?

I'm traveling abroad this summer and I will heed your advice, for sure!

JJ

JJ,
It wasn't from the FBI .. it was from the public information manager for the Federal Reserve and it is being distributed at higher levels of government, the CDC and large corporations.

I don't think there is any reason to panic, but I would take precautions, as I would with any perceived germ problem. Just get the portable antibacterial soap and use it often.

Please know I am no expert on any of this ... just thought it would be useful to share the information, especially for those who do travel abroad, etc.

As Dotsie wrote (and I agree with), we can not live in fear. We just need to be informed. Knowledge is power, as they say.

Thanks very much to everyone for the warm welcome! This is a great forum.

People should not become freaked out about the bird flu right now because there have been no known cases of human to human. China has lost so many people because chickens are their stable and they get it from them. I believe that as nasty as some of the places are over there, certainly that would be enough to cause a pandemic but after all of these years of China dealing with it they still have no known cases of human to human. Many people believe that China has allowed this to go on for so long because they are so overpopulated that this is the method they have chosen to thin out their country. Who can say, after all, they were killing all of the children and I believe they are only allowed one child per family now. People are going to prepare because they are scared, but in the end everyone has to remember that the media is to blame for getting our feathers ruffled just like they did with the Y2K. Check out how many air masks have been purchased since this thing got out. If there is eventually a human to human case, there won't be much anyone can to stop it. We will quit eating chickens, store up our food and wait for the end, just as we prepare ourselves now to die when we become old.