What Can Be Done to Prevent a Pandemic?
Flu Shots and the Pandemic
Standard flu shots for seasonal (normal) flu will not guard against a new pandemic strain of the flu virus because each new flu mutations have different DNA characteristics. For new strains it takes many months to develop and distribute a vaccine and during this time the new strain will most like have run its course. Currently, there is no vaccine for treating Covid-19.
Anti-Viral Treatments
President Trump announced that chloroquine (hydroxychloroquine/Plaquenil), a drug used to treat malaria and arthritis, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be tested as a treatment for COVID-19. Chloroquine is being tested in various clinical trials conducted by government agencies and academic institutions.
Other antivirals drugs are also planned to be fast-tracked for testing for coronavirus.
The National Medical Products Administration of China has approved the use of Favilavir, an anti-viral drug, as a treatment for coronavirus. The drug has reportedly shown efficacy in treating the disease with minimal side effects in a clinical trial involving 70 patients.
What Can Be Done to Prepare for a Pandemic? – Prepare Now!!
Preparing now can limit the spread and effects of pandemic influenza. A pandemic would touch every aspect of society, so every part of society needs to prepare. Essential services may be disrupted, food and water supplies may be limited and medical care for those with chronic illnesses may be suspended or delayed.
Although most people will have little or no immunity to pandemic influenza, in the event of a flu pandemic proper planning and preparation will help mitigate the damage.
Planning has already begun at the international, federal, state, local, community and individual business levels but experts agree that all planning must start at the family level.
The family will serve as the core of wellness and remedial care since hospitals and other health care provides will become quickly overrun with patients if a major level pandemic occurs.
As a basic unit of society, the family can provide first line care and prepare a preventative survival plan that can be rapidly implemented. These plans include improvement of basic hygiene, assembly of food, water and medical supplies and protocols for avoiding infection. Management of the protection of the family unit, with proper planning, can significantly reduce the impact of a pandemic.
Federal, state and local internet sites are the best source to help develop workable and effective Family Survival Plans. Like all disaster plans, there may be nominal cost associated with proper planning.
There are two parts of planning: resource planning and home treatment planning.
- Resource planning involves the stock piling of food, water, regular prescription and non prescription drugs and strategies for home care of infected individuals.
- Home treatment planning involves specific actions to treat infected individuals.
