Pandemic…What is there to Drink?
As we discussed last week one of the first affects of a pandemic announcement will be the loss of access to the grocery store. Really, stores normally stock a two day supply of food and when there is a run on the store that supply will last only a few hours. Ask any survivor of a natural disaster about empty store shelved. This means we will be on our own for as long as the crisis lasts in our area, at least one month and up to three.
Avoiding dehydration is one of the most important steps we can take in protecting our family during a flu pandemic or any flu season. Prepare now by storing those things which can rehydrate your family members quickly. We know how important water is and we cannot survive much more than three days without it. Begin by storing water now. You may think that our water supply will not be affected by a pandemic but if there are no healthy workers to make repairs or if the electricity that runs the pumps goes out we will be without water.
Drinks that can be used as part of a rehydration program are: apple juice, V8 vegetable juice, 7 UP, Gatorade, orange juice and Koolaid. None of these are appropriate to use for rehydration by themselves. All can be used to help prevent dehydration the way they are. To create a drink which will provide the elements necessary to hydrate someone suffering from dehydration are as follows:
1 C orange juice+3 C water + 1/2 tsp. salt OR
1 C apple juice+ 3 C water + 1/2 tsp. salt OR
1 C 7UP type soda + 3 C water+ 1/2 tsp. salt OR
3 C V8 vegetable juice+ 2 C water (NO SALT) * OR
Koolaid packet+ 2 Quarts water + 1/2 C sugar + 1 tsp. salt* OR
2 C Gatorade + 2 C water + 1/2 tsp. salt*
* Red varieties may appear as blood in the stool
Over the counter medication may also be stored to help with dehydration but purchasing enough for several people for three months is probably unrealistic and you will end up throwing much of it away if the pandemic does not occur for a year or two. Remember you will need much more water to make a solution with Koolaid than with the other formulas. Store extra water for this purpose or be sure you also have plenty of the other options.
Copy the information about alternative solutions to use with a person who is dehydrated and place it in your first aid kit and in the Pandemic section of your emergency preparedness binder. While you’re at it, be sure to download the Patient Report Form and add it to your binder also.
Click here to download the Pandemic Patient Report Form
You mentioned, in your article, that chicken soup is not a good rehydration item, can you explain why?
I really can’t. I have just been advised by my medical advisers that chicken soup should not be relied on for hydration. I have done extensive research and the common wisdom seems to be that chicken soup is good to eat when you are sick. No one seems to know exactly why they just know it works. However, this is not the same as hydration. When hydrating a person you want to get liquids into the body that will be absorbed directly into cells easily and quickly. My guess would be that broths are not as effective at accomplishing this goal. So, chicken soup is still god to have on hand, easily digestible for those recovering from an illness, but not for rehydration.