BIRD FLU: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Written by Verona Fonte`
As parents we’re attentive to the health concerns of our children. We’re accustomed to their familiar illnesses like cold, sore throats, and stomach aches. We take routine preventive measures that help keep our kids healthy: mandatory shots, check-ups, and good nutrition.
But now we are up against a different kind of health concern - a potential pandemic. If the bird flu develops the ability to spread easily between humans it will be quite dangerous. Since 2003, we’ve had outbreaks of the bird flu in more than 48 countries and territories. Given the news of this potential disaster on top of our recent experience with Hurricane Katrina, it’s time to consider disaster preparation as something we “just doâ€, like getting health or car insurance.
What is the bird flu?
The bird flu is a virus that has affected birds and people in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Most people have contracted the illnesses from direct contact with infected poultry or surfaces that have been contaminated by them. However, in late June the World Health Organization confirmed that a boy passed the bird flu to his father. This incident was contained, and it is not yet evident that the flu can “easily†spread between humans.
It’s important to take steps now to prepare because this is a new virus and we have no immunity to it. If it begins to spread easily between humans it will be difficult to contain, as people can transmit viral material several days before they are symptomatic. So if it comes to our communities, it will spread quickly.
Our kids are vulnerable because their immune systems are less developed and illnesses pass easily from child to child at school or on the playground. Also children may not take the same health precautions as adults that can help delay the spread of virus, like hand washing, covering their months when coughing, not putting fingers in their mouths.
What steps can we take?
· Begin disaster planning now with your family. This includes addressing issues of food, water, learning how to prepare for situations where there are interruptions in basic services.
· Teach healthy habits to your children such as hand washing, limiting hand to face contact, and cough etiquette.
· Talk to children about what it would be like spending periods of time at home (under voluntary isolation or quarantine circumstances). Imagine activities for extended ‘rainy days,’ stockpiling children’s favorite foods, making sure games and indoor activities abound.
· Co-ordinate disaster preparation activities in your neighborhoods, schools, and communities.
By normalizing disaster preparation we dramatically increase our chances of survival. We will have the knowledge, resources and support that will increase our resilience during disasters. And even if there is no major disaster now, it will feel better to live in a community that has made a commitment to work together when there is a disaster.
Verona Fonté, Ph.D., Author of Bird Flu What To Do: Prepare To Survive
Http://www.BirdFluWhatToDo.com
Article Submission by Verona Fonté, Ph.D.: Word count 499
Contact information: Verona Fonté, 1856 San Antonio Avenue, Berkeley, California 94707
Phone or fax: 510 524-4150; email: veronafonte@mac.com