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Pandemic preparedness, and medical preparedness in general, are

perhaps the most difficult aspects of a self-reliance plan to complete.
Even those individuals with advanced first aid or college-level medical
training will find it difficult to survive a major injury or life-threatening
illness without the aid of modern medicine.
Pandemics can kill millions. The Black Death of the 14th century
the deadliest one in history -- killed at least 75 million people.
And if a pandemic occurs or an epidemic spreads during a longterm man-made or natural disaster, the death toll could easily number in
the millions in a fairly short amount of time.
The potential of a pandemic is very real, as affirmed by a Towers
Watson survey of worldwide industry executives, who ranked a global
pandemic as the No. 1 risk facing the insurance industry. It ranked ahead
of natural disasters, financial meltdowns and a large-scale food crisis.
Many preppers and off-grid enthusiasts consider their self-reliance
training and preps a part of an overall insurance plan -- just like paying
monthly premiums to protect homes from fires and floods. Perhaps we

should listen to the experts and be more concerned about pandemics than
we are.
The World Health Organization (WHO) gauges pandemics on a
six-stage classification system:
Phase 1 -- no viruses circulating among animals have been
reported to cause infections in humans.

Phase 2 -- an animal influenza virus circulating among

domesticated or wild animals is known to have caused infection in
humans, and is therefore considered a potential pandemic threat.

Phase 3 -- an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant

virus has caused sporadic cases or small clusters of disease in people,
but has not resulted in human-to-human transmission sufficient to
sustain community-level outbreaks.

Phase 4 -- verified human-to-human transmission of an animal

or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause
community-level outbreaks. The ability to cause sustained disease
outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk
for a pandemic.

Phase 5 -- human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two

countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be
affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that
a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization,
communication and implementation of the planned mitigation
measures is short.

Phase 6 the pandemic phase, is characterized by communitylevel outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO
region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of
this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way. [1]

During the sixth and final stage, the pandemic has spread
worldwide to the point where controlling the virus has become nearly
impossible. If, at any time, the virus goes airborne, the death toll
increases exponentially -- reaching the sixth stage of the classification
system in weeks instead of months.

First Steps To Prepare For A Pandemic: Communication

Being prepared for a pandemic requires not only a modicum of
first aid and medical skills and well-stocked shelves of essential preps,
but a means of communication and the ability to resupply medications
and cleaning agents.
Communication is key during any potential epidemic. If a doctor in
Ohio cannot let his peers in Indiana, West Virginia and Kentucky know
that swine flu is sweeping through the region, residents in neighboring
states wont know to prepare.
What can you do? Purchase a HAM Radio and necessary repair
kits and replacement items so your family and your community can

remain in contact with the outside world during any type of long-term
disaster. Take an additional step: Store the HAM radio and other
sensitive electrical components properly inside a Faraday cage so it will
be protected during the event of an EMP attack or an X-Class solar flare.
The average five-watt HAM radio handset can achieve 10-plus
miles of range on flat ground, but using a repeater, a HAM radio can
reach halfway across the country. The HAM radio has played an integral
role in every disaster this nation has faced for more 100 years.
HAM will remain functional even when modern communication
devices become worthless. The seemingly old-fashioned devices are
extremely reliable and allow users to connect with the outside world
even when Internet access, cell towers and phone land lines are no
longer functional.
The 5 Deadliest Pandemics In History
Medical emergencies or outbreaks may kill a few hundred
thousand people across many countries, but true pandemics become so

devastating to the continuity of daily lives and the economy that the
course of history was essentially altered by the virus spread.
During the Plague of Athens in 430 BC, typhoid fever is believed
to have killed a quarter of the Athenian military and a quarter of the
overall population in approximately four years.
But that was not the deadliest pandemic in history. Following are
the five deadliest pandemics of all time:
1.

The Black Death: The plague occurred during the 14th

century and changed the landscape of not just Europe, but the entire
known world at that time. There were an estimated 450 million people
on the planet during the 14th century and at least 75 million souls died
during the pandemic. In just four years approximately half of the
population of Europe perished. The plague was dubbed The Black
Death due to the black spots which appeared on the skin. The plague is
believed to have started because sick sailors that traveled the Silk
Road docked in a port in Sicily after a voyage to Asia and brought the
bubonic plague with them.

2.

Spanish Flu: The Spanish Flu pandemic appeared in multiple

countries around the world in March of 1918, and soon killed millions.
The pandemic spread more quickly than previous serious infectious
illnesses because soldiers were living in very tight quarters together
during World War I. Approximately one in every five patients who
contracted the Spanish Flu died from the virus. Approximately 50
million people died; 25 million of the deaths happened during the first
25 weeks of the pandemic.
3.

HIV/AIDS: The spread of HIV/AIDS continues to this day.

While medicines offered to patients have slowed the spread of the

disease and diminished the mortality rate, no cure of the virus exists.
HIV/AIDS has infected more than 60 million people 35 million of
whom have died. Approximately 35 million people are believed to
currently be living with the virus.
4.

The Plague of Justinian: Rats on Egyptian grain boats are

blamed for this massive plague during the sixth century. The virus tore
through the Roman Empire and killed 25 million people infecting even
the emperor himself, Justinian I. Historians estimate that about 5,000

citizens died each day in the empires capital, Constantinople. The death
toll emerged so quickly that bodies were left in piles possibly
enhancing the spread of the outbreak. By the end of the pandemic, about
40 percent of the Easter Roman Empire had perished.
5.

The Antonine Plague: This pandemic raged from 165 to 180

AD. The virus, believed now to have been smallpox, killed

approximately 5 million people. The pandemic began in Seleucia, a city
in Mesopotamia, and spread to Rome due to soldiers returning from a
siege. At the peak of the pandemic, about 2,000 Romans died each day.
Emperors from both Rome and Mesopotamia are believed to have been
among those killed by the smallpox pandemic.
The 2014 mishandling of smallpox vials by a U.S. government
warehouse in Maryland illustrates how quickly the health of the general
populace could be placed at-risk. Long-forgotten vials of the smallpox
virus were found in an unsecured government lab storage room in the
Washington, D.C., area.

Workers cleaning out the old research center storage room were
shocked when they stumbled across several old vials of smallpox inside
a cardboard box. Even more shocking: After decades of being stored in
less-than-prime conditions, at least two of the six vials were still alive,
contrary to what government officials initially said. Typically, smallpox
needs to be stored cold for it to stay alive, and these were kept at room
temperature for an unknown amount of time. There is no cure for
smallpox.
According to some historians, Abraham Lincoln, George
Washington and Andrew Jackson all contracted smallpox.
Smallpox Remedy Recipe
A faded index card reportedly written during the 1920s that
surfaced online after the CDC smallpox vials incident features a recipe
that claims to help smallpox victims. The primary ingredient in the
smallpox home remedy is cream of tartar.

1 ounce of cream of tartar.

1 pint of hot water.

Drink when cold at short intervals.

Cream of tartar has lots of potassium. In high doses potassium can

cause an irregular heartbeat and even death. Even with such a risk, those
suffering from a deadly case of smallpox post-disaster may be grateful
they had stocked up on cream of tartar. When facing the choice between
certain death and possible death, this home remedy might be worth a
shot, but this is not a scientifically proven cure. Consulting your doctor
when you are sick is always recommended.
Pandemic Preparedness Tips
Proper hand-washing practices, just like your mother always
reminded you to do as a child, can help prevent a pandemic from
spreading. Wet your hands with warm water -- running water if possible
-- and then add soap and rub the hands together, making a soapy lather
in the process. Wash hands for at least 15 seconds, washing between the
fingers, under the nails, and both the front and back of hands.
Thoroughly dry hands and immediately dispose of the paper towel. Do
NOT reuse cloth towels or wash cloths.

Keep fingernails trimmed and short to avoid accidentally

scratching others or getting debris of any type under your own nails.
Give a nod and a smile instead of a traditional handshake or hug when
greeting others outside of your home.
If water must be conserved during a pandemic or is in short supply,
use rubbing alcohol, tea tree oil, antibacterial lotion, or witch hazel to
keep hands germ-free. Rub hands together and pay attention to the
spaces between the fingers and under the nails just as you would do if
using soapy water. Allow the hands to air-dry thoroughly.
Keep unwashed hands away from your face at all times. Cold, flu
and virus germs generally enter the body and cause illness via the eyes,
nose or mouth. This most often occurs when contaminated hands
touch those areas. Spend just one hour counting how many times your
hands touch the eyes, face, nose or mouth, and you will better
understand how easily and quickly germs can spread during a pandemic.
It will be virtually impossible to keep small children from touching their

facial area, so be far more diligent with them in relation to both hand
washing and their exposure to others or shared areas within the home.
Keeping the home or office area clean is also essential to survival
during a pandemic. Germs spread when people do not cover their mouth
or nose while coughing and sneezing. It could cause an entire group to
become sick. Remember, unless dirty hands are washed via an automatic
faucet, the sink itself could be a bastion for germs.
What Should You Stockpile?
If the pandemic occurs under normal circumstances, stringent
commercial cleaning agents will be available, although not necessarily
readily so if panic sets in.
Stockpile distilled white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and tea tree oil to
clean surfaces around your home, your office, and your care just in case
the local supermarket or chain store is looted or worried shoppers strip
the shelves bare during just the first few days after the pandemic
encroaches upon the borders of the state or town.

Keep the body strong and boost the immune system if exposure to
a pandemic is likely. Take a multi-vitamin, drink plenty of orange juice,
rest, exercise and curtail or quit smoking.
Either a mandatory or self-imposed quarantine is likely during a
pandemic. This is where the stockpiles of long-term storage food,
common first-aid supplies, potable water and water purifying supplies,
as well as bottles of cleaning fluid, will come in very handy. The less
likely you and your family are to be exposed to germs, the better the
chances of becoming a statistic in the pandemic death toll.
Make sure you also stockpile some morale-booster items for the
entire family as well. Ensuring good mental health during a quarantine
or when you will be spending a lot of time in the home will reduce the
possibility of panic.
Duct tape and plastic should also be stockpiled in case of a
pandemic. If a member of the family becomes stricken with the
pandemic virus, a space in the home will have to be effectively sealed
off for treatment and to curtail the spread. Protective coveralls, gloves,

face mask, head covering and booties should always be worn when
going in to render aid, food or comfort.
As difficult as it may be, avoid physical contact as much as
possible with sick family members and place the disposable protective
gear in a sealable biohazard container upon leaving and resealing the
entrance to the sick room. A double entry is essential so that any germs
on the protective gear do not get into the air or onto items in the
adjoining room. Set up a cleansing station for the caregiver inside the
double entryway as well.
The plastic and duct tape can also be used to make windows, doors
and other points where air flows into the home unfiltered, more secure.
If a pandemic-causing virus becomes airborne, the chances of survival
are greatly diminished, so keeping the home as protected as possible is
essential.
Homemade Medicine
Additionally, learn how to grow your own pharmacy. An enclosed
porch could be converted into an indoor greenhouse to grown medical

herbs, plants and even miniature trees as well as fruits and vegetables
to supplement the food supply.
Take a class or do some research about the plants and trees native
to your area to better utilize what is free, natural, and in abundance to
help prevent and treat various illnesses in your region. For example, all
varieties of pine trees have been applauded for their antiseptic
properties. White pine is often regarded as the most palatable for
internal use. Pine tree twigs and needles are said to contain copious
amounts of vitamin C and are often used in herbal and medicinal teas.
The teas are used to treat the common cold, coughs and sore throats.
Chinese herbalists have been known to boil the knot of pine trees
to make use of the concentrated resins contained inside. Bathing in the
mixture is said to improve circulation, soothe sore muscles, calm the
nerves and aid kidney problems.
The Linden tree is often referred to in America as basswood. The
extremely tall tree grows among other massive hardwoods in moist rich
soils. The leaves on the tree are heart shaped. Tea made from the trees

flowering buds has been used to treat heart flutters, nervousness,

vomiting, indigestion, headaches and hysteria. The bark and roots from
the tree mixed with its flowers have been used to treat burns, coughs,
headache, epilepsy and overall pain when brewed into a tea. Tree buds
and bark have also been pounded into small bits and boiled into a soup.
Preparing for a pandemic does not have to be expensive or even
complicated. By taking the right steps and using common sense, you and
your family can survive.

Sources:
[1] http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/phase/en/