Answering A Question…H1N1 First responders and those who have to work

Our business computer crashed yesterday so we are sharing which means I need a fast post today! I thought it would be a good opportunity to address a great question.

Would you do an article discussing the issues of self-quarantining your family when one family must go out to work, either because you are voluntarily quarantining and the worker’s employer isn’t going to let them just work from home for a few months because they’re scared of flu, or because they are in a critical services role. How do you best protect that person and the rest of the family in that instance?

As of this morning the number of cases of H1N1 in the United States is 17855 with 45 deaths. The flu has not slowed down as much as was expected and the real concern I have is that the CDC is no longer identifying cases. The numbers above are the same as they were on June 12th. We really have no idea how many new cases have been identified in the past 5 days.

I had a long discussion with my friend Karen yesterday. She and her son had the H1N1 and it was awful! Her husband is a first responder and she has decided as soon as she hears anything about a new wave of the flu in the fall her doors are getting closed and locked. Her feeling is that protecting her family is worth a week of self quarantine to assess the situation. I agree. Missing a few days of school or work or missing a Sunday at church is not going to hurt anyone. This is exactly why I have been encouraging everyone to ask questions at work and school about “the plan”. If there is none, it is time to design your own. Can you make arrangements to work from home if the need arises? Do you have all the contact information you would need? Are your work files backed up and ready to load onto your home computer? Think creatively. If your schools do not have a plan be sure to get the email addresses of all your children’s teachers when school begins again. Be prepared with school supplies in your home; paper, flashcards, reading books, etc.

Karen’s solution for her husband is to house him in the garage. A room with a private entrance would be perfect. Sound awful? Not really. If he is at home and becomes ill she can then care for him. They have a plan for a bed and other “comforts” in the garage. If you choose this over a hotel room or having your family member live at the office, I would recommend a microwave and a small fridge in the garage or your private entrance room. Good meals can then be placed in the fridge, along with supplies to make sandwiches for lunches. Dinners can be heated in the microwave. If you have a spare TV or lap top that could be used to watch movies that would be great. An alarm clock, flashlight, port-a-potty, radio, and water to wash up  are also essentials. Think about how our fore fathers lived. They had a large pitcher and bowl they used to wash up. Be sure you have lots of hand sanitizer available for their use also. If your family member has a shower at work, perfect!

You would treat this arrangement as you would a patient. When you enter the room wear a mask and gloves. Leave food and any other supplies your family member has requested when they are not pesent. Disinfect surfaces every day and change sheets often. Treat laundry as though it is contaminated and place in a plastic bag and carry directly to the washer. Throw the bag away and sanitize hands immediately. Remove your mask and gloves and throw them away immediately when leaving the room. Remember it takes 2-4 days for symptoms to show up after a person is already contagious so always assume your loved one has been exposed and is contagious.

I hope that helps. Anyone else have a plan for this contingency?

I will be appearing on another web cast this Saturday, June 20th at 11:00am Central time. I will continue to speak about pandemic prep as we are now officially in the midst of a pandemic and questions on the topic have been increasing.  Please check in:

(347) 326-9604 call in with questions

If you missed the first broadcast you can listen at:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/James-Talmage-Steven/2009/05/23/Family-Preparedness-Guide

We discussed a pandemic during that broadcast and there were lots of great questions so please check it out and then call in on Saturday.

5 Responses to “Answering A Question…H1N1 First responders and those who have to work”

1. Carol Ann Shepherd says:

   June 17, 2009 at 6:50 pm

   Even though you have mentioned it before, one needs to have plenty of N95 face masks on hand. I ordered a supply online last week. Then I wondered, how many do you suggest to have on hand per person in our emergency supplies, and how often would you change it and throw away the old mask?
2. Kati says:

   June 17, 2009 at 11:23 pm

   Here’s a thought for pandemic preparation: banana baby food. Part of the BRAT diet is bananas and if fresh fruit isn’t available, would baby food be usable?
3. Jeanette W says:

   June 18, 2009 at 3:11 pm

   For Carol Ann–you need one N95 mask per day per person, unless it gets wet and you have to change it. You need to allow for more than one per day. Masks are sized and the mediums are too large for children–actually I have not seen a child’s size. Also, the masks are too hard for children to breath through.
4. Carol Ann Shepherd says:

   June 19, 2009 at 8:47 am

   Thanks, Jeanette. Also, I grind my wheat and bake bread once a week. I’ve purchased a hand grinder in case of a power outage, but wondered how I would bake the bread with no electricity. Someone told me to use a dutch oven (don’t have one) and then I saw a camping (portable) bake oven for sale last week. Has anyone had experience with an item like this for baking bread?
5. admin says:

   June 19, 2009 at 2:15 pm

   I think baby food is a great idea! What a great way to store bananas. If you don’t use it add it to smoothies.

   Carol Ann asked about ovens so I went to my trusted source, Karen, and here is her reply:
   The portable bake ovens are minimally successful but would be fine in an emergency. They are very small though and I have heard some complaints about their temperature accuracy. I would hate to cook for a family in one but if you are hungry you do what works.

   I am recommending a solar oven. A good quality solar oven bakes bread with no problem, although it does take a little longer. A high quality solar oven will do everything but deep fry. I like the sun oven, which is what I sell, although there are other ovens available. Solar baking will be a pet project for me this summer. During my solar oven research I corresponded with a woman who cooks solar about 95% of the time. She does it for environmental reasons. Anyway, she swears by the benefits and ease of solar cooking. The benefits are numerous; one is that you do not have to store fuel. Draw backs are that the sun does need to be shining although I have seen people bake bread in the winter time when there is snow on the ground!

   Draw backs on solar ovens are extended cooking time so you have to plan your meal and get it going early on.

   Hope that helps.
   Karen