A Pandemic Around The Corner?
Recently I have been impressed it is time to begin talking about the Bird Flu and exactly what that means to us. For those who are not aware of exactly what the bird flu is or what the consequences of a bird flu are here is a very brief tutorial.
The bird flu or avian flu is a disease which occurs for the present in domestic and wild birds. We have seen this strain of the flu in chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks and other fowl. There have been cases of the flu being passed from diseased birds to humans in many countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. They bird flu was first isolated and identified in 1997 and has killed over 240 people in that time. At the present time the bird flu can only be passed from birds to humans who have come into contact with a dead or diseased bird. This strain of flu can not be passed from human to human. So why are we concerned?
During the twentieth century there were three flu outbreaks which resulted in millions of deaths. The 1918 pandemic, the largest of all the pandemics during the 20th century killed as estimated 50 million people world wide. It is expected that when the avian flu mutates and is able to be transmitted from human to human that another major outbreak will occur, a pandemic. This pandemic is expected to have a mortality rate of 81 million.
Each year we experience seasonal flu outbreaks. They are normally fairly localized in nature. Your entire community may have the flu but if you speak with a friend 50 miles away they may say something like”I hope that doesn’t spread here”. An epedemic occurs when several communities in a fairly localized area all have an illness at the same time. The eastern seaboard may be ill while there is little illness in Nevada, for example. A pandemic is when a disease occurs world wide or on several continents at the same time.
Pandemics are difficulty to get under control once they begin. Because these are caused by a mutated strain of the flu there is no treatment available and it may take six months or longer to create a treatment that will be effective.
Pandemics have happened throughout history. They will happen again. It is not a question of if but rather a question of when. Over the past 42 weeks we have done a few things to prepare for a pandemic as part of our Seven Steps program. We will now be spending more time working together to be prepared to care for our families when this frightening event occurs. As with all our planning this is not a time for panic or undo fear. It is a time to take control of our destiny and do something. Each Friday for a few months we will focus on specifics of what you can do in your home, workplace, your child’s school and even your church. Get ready to add a few more items to your preparedness stash and a few more checklists and articles to your binders.
Excellent content…keep up the good work!
Good article. We need to keep pandemic preparedness at the forefront of every one’s mind. It won’t go away so better start preparing.