surviving an influenza pandemic and the subsequent zombie apocalypse

8/13/2019 Surviving an Influenza Pandemic and the Subsequent Zombie Apocalypse

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Surviving an Influenza Pandemic(and the Subsequent Zombie Apocalypse)

History

Illness from the 1918–1919 flu pandemic, also known as the H1N1 Spanish flu, came on quickly.Some people felt fine in the morning, but died by nightfall. People who caught the Spanish Flu,

but did not die from it, often died from complications caused by bacteria, such as pneumonia.

During the 1918 pandemic:

• Approximately 20% to 40% of the worldwide population became ill.

• An estimated 50 million people worldwide died.

• Nearly 675,000 people died in the United States.

Most influenza outbreaks disproportionately kill juvenile, elderly, or already weakened patients;in contrast the 1918-1919 flu pandemic killed predominantly previously healthy young adults.

Modern research, using virus taken from the bodies of frozen victims, has concluded that the

virus kills through a cytokine storm (overreaction of the body’s immune system). The strongimmune reactions of young adults ravaged the body, whereas the weaker immune systems of

children and middle-aged adults resulted in fewer deaths among those groups.

Since then we’ve had three more flu pandemics:

• 1957–1958 with the H2N2Asian flu where about 70,000 people died in the U.S.

• 1968–1969 with the H3N2 Hong Kong flu where about 34,000 people died in the U.S.

• 2009–2010 with the H1N1 swine flu where about 18,000 people died worldwide.

How the Flu Virus Changes

Flu viruses are constantly changing and mutating. These changes can happen slowly over time

or suddenly. Sometimes these mutations result in viruses that move from animals to humans:

• Antigenic drift is when these changes happen slowly over time. These changes happen

often enough that your immune system can’t recognize the flu virus from year to year.

That is why you need to get a new flu vaccine each year. The flu vaccine protects you

against that season’s three or four most common flu virus strains.

• Antigenic shift is when changes happen suddenly. This occurs when two different flu

strains infect the same cell and combine, which may create a new flu subtype. Because

people have little or no immunity to the new subtype, it can cause a very severe flu

epidemic or pandemic.

Analyses of the H7N9 and H5N1 bird flu strains found that both viruses are only one mutation

away from becoming highly contagious to humans. — “One Degree of Separation for AvianFlu,” Cell, Volume 153, Issue 7, 20 June 2013, Pages 1409,1411.

Preparing Yourself for an Influenza Pandemic

Always get an annual flu shot! There are several flu vaccine options for the 2013–2014 flu

season. Traditional flu vaccines made to protect against three different flu viruses (called“trivalent” vaccines) are available. In addition this season, flu vaccines made to protect against

four different flu viruses (called “quadrivalent” vaccines) also are available.

The trivalent flu vaccine protects against two influenza A viruses and an influenza B virus. The

following trivalent flu vaccines are available:




• Standard dose trivalent shots that are manufactured using virus grown in eggs (if you don’t

have an egg allergy). These are approved for people ages 6 months and older. There are

different brands of this type of vaccine, and each is approved for different ages. However,there is a brand that is approved for children as young as 6 months old and up.

• A standard dose trivalent shot that is egg-free, approved for people 18 through 49 years of

age.

• A standard dose trivalent shot containing virus grown in cell culture, which is approved for

people 18 and older.

• A high-dose trivalent shot, approved for people 65 and older.

• A standard dose intradermal trivalent shot, which is injected into the skin instead of the

muscle and uses a much smaller needle than the regular flu shot, approved for people 18

through 64 years of age.

The quadrivalent flu vaccine protects against two influenza A viruses and two influenza Bviruses. The following quadrivalent flu vaccines are available:

• A standard dose quadrivalent shot.

• A standard dose quadrivalent flu vaccine, given as a nasal spray, approved for healthy people

2 through 49 years of age. (“Healthy” indicates a person who does not have an underlying

medical condition that predisposes them to influenza complications.)

CDC does not recommend one flu vaccine over the other. The important thing is to get a fluvaccine every year.

Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic

The best strategy to reduce the risk of becoming infected with influenza during a pandemic is to

avoid or, if unavoidable, minimize time in crowded settings and other situations that increase therisk of exposure to someone who may be infected. Basic hygiene and social distancing

precautions that can be implemented in every workplace include the following:

• If sick, stay at home.

• Wash hands frequently with soap and water or, if soap or water are not available, with

alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Also, avoid touching your face (i.e., nose, mouth, and eyes).

• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, or to cough and sneeze into your upper sleeves

if tissues are not available. Wash your hands with soap and water, or use an alcohol-basedhand sanitizer after you cough, sneeze or blow your nose.

• Avoid close contact with coworkers and customers (maintain a separation of at least 6 feet).

Avoid shaking hands and always wash your hands after contact with others. If wearinggloves, wash your hands upon removal of the gloves; always assume your hands becomecontaminated during the glove removal process.

• Provide customers and the public with tissues and trash receptacles, and with a place to wash

or disinfect their hands.

• Keep work surfaces, telephones, computer equipment and other frequently touched surfaces

and office equipment clean. Be sure that cleaners are safe and will not harm yourself or youroffice equipment. Use only disinfectants registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA), and follow all directions and safety precautions indicated on the label.




• Discourage others from using your phone, desk, office, or other work tools and equipment.

• Minimize situations where groups of people are crowded together, such as in a meeting. Use

e-mail, phones, and text messages to communicate with each other. When meetings are

necessary, avoid close contact by keeping a separation of at least 6 feet, where possible, andassure that there is proper ventilation in the meeting room.

• Reducing or eliminating unnecessary social interactions can be very effective in controlling

the spread of infectious diseases.

• Promote healthy lifestyles, including good nutrition, exercise, and smoking cessation. A

person’s overall health impacts their body’s immune system and can affect their ability tofight off, or recover from, an infectious disease.

Preparing Homes for an Influenza Pandemic

Typical of the emergency preparation process for other natural disasters, preparing your home to

“shelter-in-place” for an influenza pandemic involves stockpiling at least a two-week supply of

some key essentials for creating a degree of isolation to avoid spreading the virus to yourself orothers:

• Drinking water (one gallon per person per day) and nonperishable food. Be sure to include a

manual can opener!

• Flashlights, a battery-operated radio, and a supply of batteries.

• Personal care products – soap, toiletries (including toilet paper and tissues), alcohol-based

hand sanitizer, extra glasses or contact lenses, prescription and over-the-counter drugs suchas pain relievers, cough suppressants, and an antiviral such as Tamiflu (a neuraminidase

inhibitor that inhibits virus replication; catechins in green tea do the same thing), tissues, and

toilet paper, and any special items for infants or people with special health needs.

• A well-stocked first aid kit, including a supply of disposable, NIOSH-certified respirators(e.g., the Moldex 2730 and 3M 8233 both are rated to remove 99.97% of airborne particles)

and disposable gloves (suggest non-latex to avoid an allergic reaction, e.g., vinyl or nitrile)

for wearing in public places and to prevent the spread of infection from sick family members.Safety glasses or goggles are also helpful to prevent the spread of airborne infection through

sneeze and/or cough droplet contact with the eyes.

• Kitchen utensils and dishwashing supplies, and clothes washing supplies.

• Extra clothing and bedding.

• Critical miscellaneous items – money and credit cards, extra car keys, medical and insurance

information, and copies of other important documents.

• Games, reading material, and other entertainment items for children and adults; you might

need to stay home for an extended period during a pandemic.

References

https://www.osha.gov/dsg/topics/pandemicflu/

http://www.flu.gov/

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/



http://www.flu.gov/

http://www.flu.gov/




http://www.flu.gov/





Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse

surviving an influenza pandemic and the subsequent zombie apocalypse

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