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Infection Control
Personal hygiene is one key to surviving a pandemic like those caused by viruses, such as bird flu. Infection control is part of the solution to maintaining your health, but you need to do more to stay healthy. Eat well (a colorful plate is one way to ensure your meals are balanced and you are getting everything from the food pyramid you need), get lots of sleep, stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water (ideally half of a gallon a day), and exercise.
Periodically a disease spreads quickly, often killing many in its wake. Here in the 21st Century, there's lots of talk of an Avian Flu Pandemic that could sweep the world, killing millions. Are you willing to gamble your family's life on whether the pandemic will happen, or how severe it will be? If you want to improve your chances in the eventuality of a severe pandemic, this is the article to help you prepare yourself.
Definitions:
Pandemic Flu - the worldwide spread of the flu virus.
Avian Bird Flu - the bird virus (H5N1, or other strains) spread from birds to humans.
How Viruses Are Spread:
1. Inhaling (breathing in) droplets from infected humans when they cough or sneeze.
2. Inhaling (breathing in) infected bird droplets or feces (stool).
3. Hand contact with contaminated articles or surfaces.
4. Hand contact with infected birds.
5. Hand contact with feces (stool) of infected humans or birds.
How Long Do Viruses Stay On Your Hands?
1. Hepatitis A -- over 7 hours
2. Herpes -- over 2 hours
3. Flu Virus -- over 1 hour
4. Cold Virus -- over 3-4 hours
5. Rotavirus (from infected rodents) -- over 4 hours.
6. Influenza A and B - survives 24 -- 48 hrs. on hard, non-porous surfaces (stainless steel)
Preventing The Spread Of Viruses:
1. Wash Your Hands! Wash Your Hands! Wash Your Hands!
2. Wash your hands with soap and water or an alcolhol-based hand santitizer.
3. Wash hands after toileting, before eating, before preparing food, after contact with an infected person, and after using tissue to blow your nose, cough or sneeze.
4. Wash tops of cans before opening, wash fruits and vegetables before preparing to eat.
5. Keep personal items of infected humans separate and wash their eating utensils and launder clothing and linens in detergent and hot water.
6. Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth.
7. Disinfect contaminated surfaces such as the telephone, toilet areas, computer keyboards, door knobs, handles, light switches, and cooking surfaces.
Disinfectant Formula:
1/4 cup bleach
1 gallon water
8. Cover mouth and nose with tissue when you cough, sneeze. or blow your nose -- and dispose of tissue in wastebaske!
9. If no tissue is available, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve of clothing.
10. Cook poultry and eggs well.
11. Stay Home If You Are Ill!!
Flu and Bird Flu Symptoms:
1. Fever, chills, sore throat, and cough
2. Muscle aches, headaches
3. Eye inflammation (redness, irritation)
4. Advanced symptoms: pneumonia, severe diarrhea, seizures, and coma
Maintaining Your Health And Immunity:
1. Get a minium of 7 - 8 hours of sleep each day.
2. Drink plenty of fluids - water is our best source of fluid.
3. Eat daily requirements of fruits and vegetables.
4. Reduce stress.
5. Exercise daily - reduces stress, stimulates circulation, improves mental/physical health.
6. Sunshine - a great source of Vitamin D.
7. Laugh - reduces stress and improves sense of well-being.
8. Take a Multivitamin daily - supplement daily nutrition.
Care Of The Ill In Your Home:
1. Assign one person as the caregiver
2. Keep ill person separate from other family members
3. Rest
4. Reduce fever - Tylenol, Ibuprofen, no Aspirin if person is under 20 years of age
5. Reduce aches - sponge bath with lukewarm water
6. Prevent dehydration - offer fluids frequently
Home Remedy Of Electrolyte Fluid To Prevent Dehydration
1 quart of water
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp. salt substitute (provides potassium)
Mix well and flavor with lemon juice or other juices.
Medical/Health Emergency Supplies To Have On Hand:
1. Thermometer
2. Soap/detergent
3. Alcohol-based hand santitizer
4. Bleach
5. Tissues, toilet paper, paper towels, disposable diapers, garbage bags
6. Medicines to reduce fever - Tylenol, Ibuprofen
7. Sugar, baking soda, salt, salt substitute
8. Drinking water
9. Any prescription meds
Taking care of basics, as presented here, will improve your chances of surviving a pandemic, if or when it happens. It would be nice to think that with improved hygiene we have in the western world, and advances in medicine and technology, a pandemic today wouldn't be as severe as even the Spanish Flu in 1918. But I don't think you should count on that. Better safe than sorry. Better prepared than dead.
