Dear World,Pandemic Flu Planning Checklist for Individuals and Families
- A two week supply of water and food. If you cannot get to a store, or if stores are out of supplies, it will be important for you to have extra supplies on hand.
- Have any nonprescription drugs and other health supplies on hand, including pain relievers, stomach remedies, cough and cold medicines, fluids with electrolytes, and vitamins.
- Talk with family members and loved ones about how they would be cared for if they got sick, or what will be needed to care for them in your home, like keeping the kids at a distance from one another, if necessary and using disinfectant wipes on shared surfaces, etc.
- Encourage your children to wash hands frequently with soap and water, and model the correct behavior.
- Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues, and be sure to model that behavior. Dispose of each used tissue. OR, cough/sneeze into your sleeve.
- Ensure your children to stay away from others as much as possible if they are sick. Stay home from work and school if sick.
Items to have on hand for an extended stay at home:
Examples of food and non-perishables:
- Ready-to-eat canned meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, and soups
Protein or fruit bars - Dry cereal or granola
- Peanut butter or nuts
- Dried fruit
- Crackers
- Vitamins
- Canned juices/soups
- Fluids with electrolytes
- Bottled water
- Canned or jarred baby food and formula/diapers
- Pet food
- Other non-perishable items: 7-UP/lollipops; Powered milk; Cash on hand
Examples of medical, health, and emergency supplies:
- Prescribed medical supplies such as glucose and blood-pressure monitoring equipment
- Soap and water, or alcohol-based (60-95%) hand wash/detergent (antibacterial)
- Medicines for fever, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen
- Thermometer
- Anti-diarrheal medication
- Cleansing agent/soap/disinfectant wipes
- Flashlight
- Contact Lens supplies/toiletries
- Portable radio/Batteries
- Manual can opener
- Garbage bags
- Tissues, toilet paper, disposable diapers, masks/paper plates/plastic utensils
Think about what you will do if the schools close for a while. Day care will not be the answer. Entertainment at home will become important.
The goal is to stay well. Think about how you will do that.
Goal #2 is to be prepared for you or someone in your family to get ill.
For More Information
Visit: http://www.pandemicflu.gov/
World...dear sweet world. I do not have time for a pandemic. There is other stuff going on and I DO. NOT. have time for memos like this. Nor do I have time for bat-shit-crazy follow-up e-mails like this:
Face masks aren't a sure bet against swine flu
--------------------
Though sales have increased worldwide, the coverings weren't designed to protect wearers from an airborne virus. Health officials say their value is limited, at best.
By Shari Roan And Rong-Gong Lin II
April 30 2009
Don't count on those disposable masks to protect you against swine flu.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-swine-mask30-2009apr30,0,7635596.story
What? Why would you send that to EVERYONE in the law firm? Why?
World, I just need you to stop all this silliness. M'kay? Thank. Bye now.
-Laggin
P.S. Powdered milk? Really? What is this 1943?
P.P.S. "Cash on hand" really doesn't qualify as a "food or non-perishables", I mean money is pretty much supposed to be non-perishable, strictly speaking, but shouldn't it be listed under "emergency supplies"? Or are you suggesting we may end up ingesting our money as a result of this pandemic?
P.P.P.S. Are we expecting the swine flu to take down the grid? Are we going to lose electricity and eat each other like a modern day Donner party? Because I'm thinking flashlights, portable radio/batteries and manual can openers might be a bit...what's the word...overboard? Panicky? Irrational? Fucking stupid?
P.P.P.P.S. As for entertainment at home? I'm thinking "making fun of stupid memos you receive at work" could rank up there at the top of the list.
15 comments:
Oh my goodness! I TOTALLY agree! I'm so sick of hearing about the stupid Swine Flu. I'm sure it is serious business for some who have existing illnesses. But so is the REGULAR flu. I doubt there have been any more deaths due to this "pandemic" than due to regular old flu type stuff.
It would be far more interesting if it was, oh, the Zombie Flu, or something. 28 Days Later, anyone? :)
Sweet Jesus! It's the flu not the plague. Sheesh.
Seriously? They sent this to you at work?
Look, we live with an immune compromised child, so we take general precautions. Like normal people. But freaking out about a flu that so far has what, a few hundred cases in the US? That's insane, and the media hype is driving me nuts.
Like you, I'm wondering how the hell this pandemic swine flu is going to wipe out power, clear the shelves at stores, all that end of the world crap. I'll do my grocery shopping as usual this weekend, and MAYBE pick up an extra gallon of milk and loaf of bread, just in case my lazy ass doesn't feel like going out next week and dealing with the paranoid public.
I'm turning off the TV and blocking news sites on my computer. I don't wanna hear about this anymore... I have a life to live!!!
Ok, rant over. Thanks for the opportunity :)
Y'know, if you get this kit together you'll be ready for earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and any other natural disaster that might hit your area!
Sadly I have had to suspend my daily listening to NPR news. When Terry Gross has someone on from the CDC we'll know they have lost their collective mind!
You heard it here: Husband holds an MPH from the top school in the country and he says that as long as we follow the basic rules for staying healthy and not transmitting illness, we have done what is necessary.
I'm right with you on this one. I barely have enough money to buy food for a week, how the hell am I supposed to cover our butts for longer?
Haven't we seen all this before. Look, if some bad comes our way, I fill up the bathtubs with water and pray like hell.
That is just crazy. Wash your hands (purell if soap and water is not available). Heck, one of my clients would only bump elbows if so much as sneezed near him (oh yeah, cover your face when you sneeze, then wash your hands). That is a little extreme, but he is strange.
Can you believe that the husband has not gone crazy with this? I haven't heard boo out of him about it. I fully expected a year's supply of face masks and anti-bacterial juice.
From the old teaching days, to keep the germs on those who brought them... don't share writing impliments.
Ready to eat canned meats?!
Hot Damn!! I've been looking for a reason to explore the forgotten realms of goodness that is Spam and Vienna Sausages.
Thanks, Swine Flu!
Now, if you'll excuse me....I've to scrape this gelatinous layer of goo off the top of my Viennas.
I am so tired of the damn swine flu. I'm taking the kids on an airplane next week, and if one more person calls me and tells me to stay home or I'll kill them because they're sure to get swine freaking flu in the Denver airport I will NOT be responsible for my actions.
Holy god, we'd be dead in a week at my house. Clearly, we are woefully unprepared for a pandemic. And really, I would just store in as much booze as I could and call it a day.
In the big picture of things.. Any sickness flu or otherwise that affects a large number of people are going to have casualties. I do not understand why the HUGE fuss that is being made over this. It is not common sense to keep sick kids home or stay home if you are sick? Wash hands, eat right, and get pleanty of rest. Kind of common sense, no?
My boss also goes off the deep end. Such as he said he heard our Vise President say that we "should not be using public tansportation with this flu going around". And with that he had me cancel a flight I had made for him and drove. Across the country, what would have been a 5 hourish flight turned into a 11 hour plus drive. Silly man and waste of time.
Mass histeria .. ridiculous!
Don't forget gas masks, plastic wrap and duct tape.
It's an interesting time with blogs... to see the real distinction between media hysteria and people's real reaction to it, rather than how we're told people are reacting to it.
I think you have a few more things on your plate to focus on.
Thinking of you.
The govt has cried wolf one too many times with this stuff. None of us give a crap anymore!
Hoping things will improve for you very soon. Hugs!
Well that was quite a memo. It all feels very Y2K to me.
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