Friday, June 12, 2009

Fourth Horseman Arrives

Now that the WHO has raised the Level to 6, we are in a [flu] pandemic. It is time to start implementing your epidemic disaster plans. Yes, the novel H1N1 flu has a very low lethality and high infectivity, but there has been talk of the possibility of its crossing with the dread avian flu which has a 60+ mortality rate but a low human infectivity currently.

Plus, simple math tells us that the more cases that develop, more serious cases or fatalities that will occur. Please go to your local video store and check out the 1975 BBC series Survivors for a good treatment of the aftermath of a pandemic that results in TEOTWAWKI.

On the practical side, let's review some basic infection control (IC) measures. Handwashing, for about 15+ seconds as a minimum. Stock up on disinfectants. Bleach solution works well; it is cheap, kills "all", but must be mixed fresh daily and is relatively inactivated by "organic material" (read: clean first, then disinfect). The next step up is the Lysol or other disinfectants that you can find at the store; just make sure that the product has an EPA registration number on the label (shows that it has been proven as a disinfectant).

In re: hand sanitizers, use them. Alcohol based ones work very well but under frequent use conditions, they will severely dry out your skin and produce cracks through which germs can attack you. Non alcohol based ones include Vionex (leaves skin a bit tacky after use) and Handclens (easy to use, need two pumps per use though).

More to follow in Part 2. Stay alert. Remember, a very common way to catch cold/flu is for you to touch something that has infected body fluids on it (doorknob, keyboard) and then touch your nose or eyes. Stay well.

2 comments:

kymber said...

Great and informative post MT!!! Can't wait to read Part 2!!!!

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