Prepare: Swine Flu Preparedness At Home

Whether it is the swine flu or some other variant, let's get prepared at home for whatever may happen. My daughter happened to get a cold this weekend, and with the Labor Day holiday, it was a way to simulate a "bug in" scenario with the flu being the "man made disaster".

My daughter started feeling bad on Friday night. She had a runny nose and sneezed several times while watching television. We took her temperature and were relieved to find she did not have a fever.

We put her to bed early, but first, she took a dose of OTC (over the counter cold medicine for her age), brushed her teeth and gargled well.

The next day, we stripped her bedding as well as all the bedding in the house. It was washed thoroughly in hot water with plenty of detergent naturally. We sprayed down her bed mattress with Lysol and I dusted the carpets well with baking soda, baby powder and corn starch and vacuumed. This will not kill germs, but will help remove built in odors and may trap some dirt in the carpet.

We have water resistant covers on every mattress. These can be cleaned as well and should be before,during and after a virus makes its appearance.

While awake, my daughter carried a tissue or paper napkin at all times. Into this she coughed, sneezed, etc. The paper was then disposed in the toilet. Never leave them around on surfaces or in the trash can - the virus germs must be removed from the home. She washed her hands several times a day with warm water and soap.

The other children kept their distance from the sick child and were given separate activities and meal times to avoid sharing of dishes, cups or utensils by accident.Kids will be kids. All surfaces were sprayed regularly with Lysol to kill the virus.

My daughter was still hungry despite being sick. Her top request was for "smooth" things to eat; her throat hurt. We served several different kinds of soup, applesauce, and warm drinks. This was a problem because we were running out of variety early on.

We try not to overdose children on over the counter medications in our home. Instead, she took plenty of elderberry and zinc lozenges, elderberry syrup and natural cough drops. She also regularly took peppermint candy.

She was given two hot showers a day. In the shower we put a few drops of oil of lavender, peppermint, oregano and eucalyptus.

Finally, we made sure she had plenty of rest and stayed in bed. That meant lots of distractions like books, games and videos. We did her outside out back for fresh air and sunshine though, just know crazy activity or exerting play.

So keep these things in mind:

Have plenty of clean bedding on hand.
Keep plenty of cleaning supplies available.
Stock over the counter medications (multiple bottles) as well as alternative remedies.
Stock lots of comfort foods for sick people. Buying a few cases of different soups can be a lifesaver.
Have plenty of activities line up for the home bound.

It was a good drill, but Dad is tired this week. I can only imagine how hard it must be in a real pandemic.

Prepare: Swine Flu Survival Guide Fox News

Fox News had a silly little slide show about how to survive swine flu.

Get a vaccine, what to do at college, school, etc.

Very silly.

How to avoid swine flu courtesy of me.

1) Avoid sick people. When the swine flu outbreaks start, plan on staying home as much as possible.

2) If you stock up now, you won't be forced out of the house to congregate with other sick people like at the grocery stores. Buy food and water in bulk now.

3) Keep your kids away from other sick children. Too many parents today are lazy and let little Fauntleroy go to school with a 101 degree fever. If the kids at school are sick, keep yours at home.

4) Avoid sick people at work too.

5) Have several N95 masks on hand. Don't buy one - buy 20 to a box, several boxes. Keep three in the car and more by the front door. Use 'em and replace them.

6) Keep hand sanitizer for you and big cans of Lysol on hand. Spray surfaces after visitors leave.

7) Avoid public gatherings. Won't it be rich when a case of swine flu spreads at a "Town Hall Meeting" on health care?

8) Disinfect your mail. Guess what the postman has been touching? Everybody else's mail!

9) Avoid visiting others for the duration. We have phones, email and online chat for catching up now. Use it.

Good luck

Prepare: What? Swine Flu Again?

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius offers a warning after a special panel presented a grim report, saying among other things that a "plausible scenario" for the United States later this year is wide-scale infections, possibly 30,000 to 90,000 deaths, mostly among young children and young adults, and perhaps as many as 300,000 sick enough to require intensive care unit treatment at hospitals. - news this morning.

In the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), the government has to come up with a way to remove the local population from possibly witnessing the aliens landing. They concoct a horrible nerve gas release as the cause which naturally results in panic and pandemonium and the desired effect. Everybody scammed, aliens arrived, no press.

I can't help but wonder what reason the government has for trying so hard to scare us with swine flu this year. No, I don't think the government has our best interests at heart and is trying to prevent another 1918 Spanish Influenza outbreak. If the government was so concerned about our health and safety, the TSA would be profiling every potential terrorist based upon past perpetrators and would leave grandma in her wheelchair alone.

Nope, swine flu scare tactics are another classic "Hey look! It's Elvis!" distraction courtesy of Uncle Sam. They have a lot to distract us from..

- 10 trillion dollars plus in debt in 10 years or less. Even the most conservative economic commentators warn that the United States government spending debt will be 75-80% of our Gross Domestic Product. Soon, the U.S. will owe more than its worth. I can hear Mr. Potter now, "You're worth more dead than alive! Ha-ha-ha!".


- 10 percent unemployment, and growing. Many job seekers have given up. They are off the unemployment rolls. Many out of work have exhausted their benefits and they too are now off the unemployment rolls. Many who have jobs have either had their hours cut or their pay or both. They don't count in any employment survey. Many new jobs are contract only (1099), have no benefits or only pay if the employee brings the company revenue - I received a call like that five minutes ago. These "workers" are considered the same as the employee with two paychecks a month, full benefits and a 401K to the government.

I think there is closer to 15-17% unemployment when everything is taken into consideration. And like I said, it is going to get worse. The word "jobless recovery" has entered the room. Everyone stand up and introduce themselves.

- Unaccountable government. Whether it be unelected czars (where are we? 19th century Russia) running every department in the federal government or representatives ignoring their constituents on health care, immigration and jobs, the government has given their bosses (us) the finger and will do what they think is best regardless of the outcome to the people who pay their salaries. Thank goodness we are all losing our jobs. We won't have the taxes any longer to support their hair brained schemes.


But forget about the distractions. What about this swine flu? Is it for real? Yes and no. Yes there is a swine flu virus, but there are also dozens of other flu bugs out there which thousands of people get each year and some actually die from.

Is there a real threat from swine flu? Sure, there is from every flu bug. However, this one already surfaced this past spring and while there were some fatalities, there was not a pandemic that the UN, WHO and government wanted us to believe.

Is there a possibility the swine flu will have mutated and come back stronger and different than in the spring? Of course, which raises the question: Why does the government want us to take their new, rushed to market vaccine, if the bug may be worse than before? Won't the vaccine be less effective?

Is there a possibility that the swine flu could make more people sick and effect everything in our lives? Work, services, school and so on? Sure, but again, do you really think the government cares that much about grandma getting the flu, kids going to school or parents staying home and not on the roads going to work? Elderly health care, public schools and roads cost money, don't they?

A crisis like swine flu is good for government. Cities and states can declare disasters and get lots of federal emergency funding. Enough to prop up their starved governments and pass out some raises to unionized government workers. The federal government can finally push some unpopular pet projects like mandatory health screening, travel restrictions, national ID, and restrictions on pesky Constitutional liberties.

Swine flu is good for government. Fear of the unknown is good for government. Fear of a little flu bug is good for a whole bunch of people, just not you or me.

If there is swine flu pandemic, do the usual. Get the supplies and make plans you need from Preparing for Swine Flu posted this past spring. Wash hands, stay home from school and work if sick, keep the kids away from sick kids, etc.

But most of all, read between the lines. Why the panic over swine flu from the government? Hmmmm...

Prepare: Swine Flu Now Pandemic

The World Health Organization finally got around to it and declared the swine flu to be pandemic. Maybe they were waiting for school to get out. But we knew this already didn't we?

This flu bug is not as serious as the famous 1918 outbreak was. For instance, we bathe more frequently, have access to anti-biotics, know more about hygeine than we did then as well as some common sense things like "stay away from sick people".

But at the same time, we are dumber than we were then..

- We are so afraid of offending someone these days, we no longer make mandatory health checks part of our immigration policy like we used to. Fact is, we have no immigration policy other than "Come on in, the back and front doors are wide open". Facts are facts. Other countries have different health care standards than we do in the U.S. and sometimes that means a history of infrequent or no immunizations. This puts our population at risk. Other countries carefully screen visitors and immigrants for health risks - we should too. [Note for the politically correct in the audience: My wife is from another country, immigrated here as a young woman and English her second language. Stuff your multi-cultural nonsense, I gave at the office].

- We gently react to health risks rather than prepare for the worse. Our schools and places of work send out "Head Lice Awareness" and "Swine Flu Outbreak" notices rather than have mandatory and enforced policies of "No sick children at school or sick employees at work at any time". Having volunteered at kid's school how some brain dead parent can send their Johnny with green snot all over his face and a fever of 101 is beyond me. Take a sick day at work, call grandma, hire a sitter, do anything but try thinking about other people instead of your tennis game, OK?

- We have plenty of money in both the public and private sector for stupid programs and non-educational training, but half the time the restrooms in our schools, businesses or public buildings have neither soap or paper towels. No wonder we are so sick.

- We have loaded our food products up with antibiotics and growth hormones and now our children are becoming drugged out freaks of nature immune to proper medications. I am no tree hugging hippee, but I know to eat foods as natural as possible and avoid the factory processed garbage found in most restaurants and grocery stores.

You can tell I am fired up about the swine flu. Hey, I have young children and make lots of sacrifices so they are healthy, fed and well prepared for life. A pandemic can be avoided, I just wish people would wise up and quit making things worse for the rest of us.

Prepare: Protection from Swine Flu Pandemic

An entire school district in Texas shut down for the next week it was announced last night. That is a district in a city of about half a million people. And they are not alone..

Other districts and schools are shutting down as well. The fear is that one student will infect others who in turn will take it home and the whole cart goes downhill from there. No surprise, just the surprise is that is has happened so fast. It was only over the past weekend the whole "swine flu" thing exploded into the main stream press.

Are there ways to protect yourself from viruses, flu and pandemic? There are ways to increase your chances of NOT getting a flu or virus, but remember, nothing is guaranteed besides avoiding sick people to begin with.

First, the obvious. Stay away from infected people. Don't drink or eat after them. Avoid public places. Don't use public water fountains. Keep kids away from playground equipment, water parks, and indoor play areas found at restaurants.

But having some protection is wise as well. I already told you that I purchased a box of masks for my family and it is the smartest precaution you can take. There are a number of masks available.

The Disposable EARLOOP Face MASK is familiar from hospitals. Many experts recommend these as they are lightweight, inexpensive and due to their widespread use, may not frighten small children.

My favorite however is the Influenza N95 Mask which I purchased. I keep three in my work bag, one in each of my childrens school bag and one by the front door ready to put on when strangers come by.

I saw this particular mask online but I have no idea if it is good or not, but it is pretty interesting. Wein N99 Pandemic Flu Protection ViraMask With Viraseal It might be scary to small children though.

Hands and fingers are how most illnesses get into our system. Touch a surface that a sick person has been near, put a finger in the mouth, nose or eye and bingo: You have been exposed.

Two things. Gloves and hand sanitizer (and the obvious - keep fingers out of face. I have to tell my kids that a couple of hundred times a day!). I think you are going to start seeing more people out and about wearing Medical Exam Gloves for the same reason hospitals do: they keep germs away from hands.

And sanitizer, like washing your hands cannot be stressed more. You can make sanitizer yourself.
- Aloe Vera gel (one cup)
- Rubbing alcohol (two teaspoons)
- Some lavender oil for a pleasant smell
- Tea tree oil and oregano oil (optional) for additional anti-viral protection.

My wife whipped up a big batch of this yesterday and filled several pump bottles for around the house use. And it smells nicer than the store bought product.

Taking vitamins helps, but you should have done this some time ago to build your immune system. Vitamins A, C, E along with zinc, selenium, and herbs echinacea and golden seal. We take an elderberry extract called Sambucol as well. My kids take a teaspoon before school and another when they get home. Herbalists swear this stuff can knock an infection off its socks before it takes hold. My wife swears by it when she starts to get a cold.

Finally, get plenty of rest. Try to not get so stressed; stress lowers your immune system. Drink lots of fluids like water, juice and plenty of green tea. Stay fit; a healthy body can fight off infection better than a sick one. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. All things your grandmother would have done fifty years ago.

But the best advice of all is stay away from sick people. Like the schools, we may have to shut down most public gatherings until this thing burns itself out.

Swine Flu Guide Available Online

Prepare: How To Prepare For Swine Flu

Or for any other pandemic.

Good news about the swine flu, it is not passed at random. You have to be exposed to someone who has the virus (or a pig who does, but most of us won't have that problem).

The old advice is the best advice:

- Stay away from sick people! If someone is sneezing and blowing their nose, get away from them. This is not a joke but a fact of life.

- Don't eat or drink after another. You never know if they have the virus in dormant stages.

- If you have to cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with something like a handkerchief or kleenex. (I hate those idiots who sneeze with their head stuck out, face uncovered as loud as they possibly can in a crowded room). After using the kleenex, throw it away. If it is a handkerchief put it away. Then wash your hands very well. (And then go home and get away from other people).

- Stay away from crowded public places. Sick people seem to love to congregate in churches, big retail stores, hospital emergency rooms, and schools. If you can work from home - do. If you can pull your kids from school, pull them. Only shop in the early morning or late night hours. Wear gloves or carry sanitizing wipes to wipe down grocery cart handles or baskets. Don't eat the samples in the grocery store for crying out loud!

- Use common sense. Wash hands frequently. Avoid touching eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Get plenty of rest. Eat properly.

OK, now MY list of preparedness advice the mass media and government don't want to talk about.

- Get some N95 masks today. They are far better than the surgical type masks (the blue ones) you see everyone wearing. The big box hardware stores generally carry them in the tool section or near paint. Word to the wise: They have been selling like hotcakes but Amazon has them in stock. 3M - N95 Respirator/Flu Mask, 20 Pack It is not adviseable to wear these multiple times. If you have one on for a short time, it can be reused. After exertion i.e. sweat and spittle (sorry to be gross, but the flu is worse!), the effectiveness of the mask goes down.

- Stock up on food, water and gasoline. Go fill the car up and at least one five gallon can. Buy several weeks of real food like canned and packaged foods, rice, beans, and so on. Get as many cases of bottled water as you can afford. Get a good quality water filter and some large containers.

Why? Well what happens when this swine flu gets out of hand and the grocers close? Or the truckers start getting sick? Also, this just another reason to have a garden for some additional food.

- Stock up on cash at home. Pay bills online. What happens when the banks close? So pay some of those bills in advance just in case.

- Get plenty of bleach and cleaning products. Clean your home and clothing very well now. Wipe surfaces constantly with anti-bacterial wipes. Keep Lysol spray handy and spray toys and eating surfaces as well as beds daily. Keep an N95 mask next to the front door. You may have to start wearing them whenever someone comes to the house.

- Have over the counter medicines, but stock up on alternative products as well. Like elderberry supplements marketed as Sambucol. You should have been taking regular supplements like vitamins and herbs already. If not, stock up on some as well as herbs like goldenseal and echinacea.

If you think you are getting the flu, remember to hydrate. Dehydration is a symptom of diarrhea, so get lots of gatorade and make rehydration drinks with sugar, salt and filtered water.

- If anyone does get sick in the family, quarantine them from the rest. Have a room designated as a sick room. Have clean sheets and bedding ready. Thoroughly clean the infected person's room, bedding and clothing. Keep them comfortable and well dosed with plenty of fluids.

Stay in contact with your health care provider and let them know of all symptoms as they occur.

You and your family can survive a pandemic, but you have to use common sense and courtesy. Most of all, stay away from others if you are sick and take all steps to get well as soon as possible. If you have not been exposed, do all possible to avoid being around other sick people. And no matter what anyone else says, get prepared now.

Swine Flu Guide Available Online