Swine Flu and Avian Bird Flu Survival Guide

Social distance and Isolation

If you caught a cold or flu last season you are a candidate for being infected with bird flu or swine flu. You will need to change your social and hygiene habits. H5N1 and H1N1 are flues and will spread like one, mainly by close contact with infected people.

Avoid crowded situations and events. Schools, festivals and work places will most likely be banned. Always wear a 95% efficient mask in public places and goggles if you need to. Keep your distance from suspected infected people (1 to 2 metres). Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Disinfect yourself and your clothes immediately on returning home to avoid infecting others.

It would be appropriate for very young babies, pregnant or breastfeeding females, very elderly people and other immune compromised people to remain isolated as much as possible during the duration of the first pandemic wave or until an effective vaccine becomes available. The mortality rate in the 1918 Spanish flu was almost 70% for pregnant females. The effectiveness of current vaccines being made now is in doubt.

The strategy that I am using is to store 3 to 4 weeks of normal tinned and dried food in case of forced or voluntary quarantine or shortages due to panic buying. I will also have 6 months supply of cheap bulk food such as rice and flour just in case the worst scenario occurs. This will give me some breathing space to adapt to changing circumstances. I live in an area where water supply and heating is not a concern.

Preparation and Planning

People’s lives will be significantly affected in some way. The first stage of preparation is to rationally assess your own particular circumstances in a realistic way. Think of what you need to have or to do in order to survive and to minimise the potential trauma during and after the pandemic. As with a severe storm it will be impossible to know exactly when the pandemic will start or how severe the pandemic will be. For potential survival circumstances a person is wise to plan for the worst case situation because it may be too late to change preparations whilst the pandemic is happening. To do this successfully a person need to be informed.

Begin buying your supplies now in case shop supplies dry up from panic buying or disruption to transport systems etc. Prepare yourself emotionally for a potential worst case scenario occurring in your family. Make your survival plans now while you have the time to carefully think about them. Decisions made in stressful circumstances are often flawed.

Serious consideration will be needed for planning for alternative birthing centres. Since 70 % of pregnant mothers died during the Spanish flu hospitals overflowing with bird flu patients would be one place to avoid. Adequate first aid supplies will be needed at home if the health systems become overwhelmed. Important renewable prescription drugs may need to be stock up in advance if doctor services are stretched.

Consideration is needed for young children and the elderly. Plans need to be made in case their parents or carers are too sick to care for them. Similarly for people in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes.

Since schools are renown spreading diseases they will be the first to be closed. Plans will be needed to look after the children if both parents work. Working parents will need to have strategies for not bringing the disease home with them to their families. Shopping for food in crowded supermarkets will involve some risk.

Possible secondary impacts from a severe pandemic will be the operations of business and services. Tourism, restaurants, theatres and other businesses catering for large crowds will be the first affected. Trade with other countries will slow down especially if countries totally close the borders.
A global depression would be unavoidable which will then affect almost everyone.

Any of the following services could be disrupted causing severe hardships – electricity, gas, water, sewerage, garbage collection, mail service, telephones, television, computer networks, council services, fire, ambulance, police, emergency services, courts, transport, pension and unemployment services, banking services, funeral and mortuary services and many more businesses and services we take for granted.

During a severe pandemic it will be unlikely that most families will be able to remain totally isolated even if they have sufficient provisions. Desperate people may intrude upon your privacy looking for supplies. Unprepared neighbours, relations, friends or just desperate people may call on your family for help.

It is normal healthy human behaviour to help others from suffering. Think about having extra supplies on hand to help those around you who were not prepared for a severe pandemic. Ultimately a community that works together has a better chance of survival. This is why I am helping you to become prepared instead of keeping this information to myself. It’s a better way to live.

Improving your immune system naturally

As with most influenza viruses the best defence is to have a strong immune system through a
healthy body. Start improving your health now by eating wisely and through exercise. Since commercial antivirals and vaccines will not be available to most people for the first wave of a pandemic we will need to rely on popular folk medicines and natural immune boosting foods to help us during a severe pandemic. Popular folk medicines are often proven effective more times than not.

Since there is little profit for drug companies to research these common folk medicines and foods there is only a small amount of scientific data available validating their effectiveness or not. Most of this scientific data usually does not include data from expensive human trials. Using a combination of folk medicines and associated scientific research it is possible to determine whether a particular folk medicine may be a potential helpful substance against H5N1 and H1N1 infection. It is still better than nothing.

Some research needs to be undertaken to show that the folk medicine being used will not potentially make the condition worse. This situation is a real possibility. For example, some very good antiviral folk medicines normally used for alleviating common influenzas stimulate the production of the toxic cytokines TNF-a and IL-6. These folk medicines may actually make the H5N1 and H1N1 influenza infection lethal by creating a cytokine storm. It has also been shown that some folk medicines adversely affect the effectiveness of other drugs. Check with your doctor about this.

During infection these natural folk medicines can usually be increased without causing damaging side effects, unlike many commercial drugs. Actual dosages may be obtained at the health or chemist stores where these folk medicines can be purchased.

Three strategies for reducing infection by the Swine and Bird Flu viruses

1) Reducing the viral load
The initial numbers of invading H5N1 Bird Flu and H1N1 Swine Flu viruses need to be reduced so the body’s own defence system will not be overwhelmed. This means to destroy as many invading viruses as soon as possible as they enter the body to make it easier for the body’s own immune system to cope. This is usually achieved by using commercial antiviral drugs. Since the commercial antivirals, Tamiflu and Relenza, will most likely not be available due to limited supply and production, then people will have to resort to natural antivirals found in common foods. The only other two commercial antivirals available have a history of serious side effects and are not recommended by the World Health Organisation as a treatment.

Start building up the natural antivirals in your body. Having a build up of antivirals in the body during a flu season will decrease the viral load that your immune system has to destroy. The antivirals only help the immune system to cope and not be overwhelmed by a sudden large amount of completely new viruses that the body has not yet developed antibodies for. Natural antivirals only last for about 3 hours in the body so regular doses must be maintained. Eating different antiviral foods at different times can do this. (see Folk Medicines)

2) Reducing the production of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-a and IL-6
The production of the immune systems natural toxic and inflammatory antivirals (cytokines TNF-a and IL-6) needs to be suppressed to prevent death by a cytokine storm.
During the 1918 Spanish Flu, large numbers of very healthy people died from a Cytokine storm. (see Symptoms) Finding suitable substances that may reduce a cytokine storm would be a priority for most people.
Foods and folk medicines that stimulate production of the toxic inflammatory cytokines, TNF-a and IL-6 in the immune system would need to be avoided. Other foods containing chemicals that will suppress the production of these two inflammatory cytokines may be beneficial providing they do not totally suppress the rest of the immune system’s production of helpful cytokines.
(increased inflammatory cytokines are also associated with migraines)

3) Boosting the Immune System
Finally the immune system needs to be boosted without increasing the toxic cytokines TNF-a and IL-6.There are many natural foods that help boost the body’s immune system. However, some of these need to be avoided as they also increase the production of TNF-a and IL-6 cytokines. Some foods simply supply the immune system with the appropriate nutrients for antibody production. There is only recent research on these nutrients, called glyconutrients. Adequate supply of these nutrients facilitates the healing process.
Other natural foods may stimulate production of helpful cytokines but not the inflammatory cytokines. These are the substances that could be appropriate as a natural medication.

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