Top > Health Watch > HW Bulletin (Pandemic Pep Talk 9-14-09)
POSTED: September 14, 2009
Perelandra Health Watch Bulletin A PANDEMIC PEP TALK
by Machaelle Wright
Perelandra, Center for Nature Research
As you probably know, we in the Northern Hemisphere are firmly into the beginning of the second wave of H1N1. And it's shaping up to infect over 40% of the population. However, according to World Health and the CDC it is also shaping up to be a mild-to-moderate flu. This has a lot of people breathing a sigh of relief.
If you have been following the information I have been passing on to you for the past four years, you have learned how to prepare yourself for this pandemic. You've read the CDC guidelines for how to set up and the World Health suggestions. Now you want to kick those suggestions into action and you are running into some problems. Everyone you are talking to — your spouse, your teenagers, your children's teachers, your boss, your co-workers — listen to you with unbridled skepticism, and attempt to humiliate you and look at you as if you are crazy, all because they think you are over-reacting. After all, this is a mild-to-moderate flu. What is your problem? Life can go on as usual. These are people who don't understand what makes a virus a pandemic virus, they have chosen to not inform themselves about the pandemic or prepare. They were hoping this would all blow over and they are annoyed at you for suggesting otherwise.
Here's what you need to know to stand firm and continue working to act responsibly during the pandemic:
If we are healthy, H1N1 will probably be a mild/moderate experience should we get sick. However, it's not just about "me" (not just about you as an individual). The information coming out from WHO and the CDC indicates that those who are dying are children or people with pre-existing conditions that put them at risk. Trust me, there are a lot of people with pre-existing conditions out there. Here's what the World Health Organization says:
Vulnerable Groups
An increased risk during pregnancy is now consistently well-documented across countries. This risk takes on added significance for a virus, like this one, that preferentially infects younger people.
Data continue to show that certain medical conditions increase the risk of severe and fatal illness. These include respiratory disease, notably asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and immunosuppression. When anticipating the impact of the pandemic as more people become infected, health officials need to be aware that many of these predisposing conditions have become much more widespread in recent decades, thus increasing the pool of vulnerable people. WHO estimates that, worldwide, more than 230 million people suffer from asthma, and more than 220 million people have diabetes.
Obesity, which is frequently present in severe and fatal cases, is now a global epidemic.
Moreover, conditions such as asthma and diabetes are not usually considered killer diseases, especially in children and young adults. Young deaths from such conditions, precipitated by infection with the H1N1 virus, can be another dimension of the pandemic's impact.
So, if we are healthy, our responsibility is not just to ourselves but to everyone around us. In short, do we conduct ourselves and go through our lives in ways that ignore this pandemic, knowing that we will get a mild/moderate flu should we become infected and, at the same time, risk infecting those around us who are not so lucky and aren't as healthy?
Here's what the CDC says about this: ". . . High-risk groups for influenza complications include: children younger than 5 years old; persons aged 65 years or older; children and adolescents (younger than 18 years) who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy and who might be at risk for experiencing Reye syndrome after influenza virus infection; pregnant women; adults and children who have asthma, other chronic pulmonary, cardiovascular, hepatic, hematological, neurologic, neuromuscular, or metabolic disorders such as diabetes; adults and children who have immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by HIV; and residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities."
So, how many people did you think of as you read these two lists? You may be healthy and not at-risk, but there are probably a lot of people around you who fall into the at-risk category. It's a mild/moderate virus IF YOU ARE HEALTHY. It's not so mild and moderate for those who are vulnerable. The big question for us healthy folks then is how many vulnerable people do we want to put further at risk and potentially kill by passing an infection or the H1N1 virus on to them?
As I said, this pandemic is not just about the individual. We each need to conduct ourselves responsibly and apply the smart pandemic rules not just for ourselves personally but for the sake of the many at-risk people around us. H1N1 is a HIGHLY contagious virus. The medical researchers who are following the H1N1 virus and sideline observers such as yours truly are all amazed at the extraordinary speed in which this virus is traveling and how easily it spreads from human to human.
You don't have to become infected by this virus to pass it on. You can touch someone (or something) who has been exposed to H1N1 and pass it on to another by touching them, and yet not get sick yourself. Now is not the time for us healthy folks to act in arrogant or risky ways. It's vital that we wash our hands (20 seconds per wash) a good 10 times a day. We need to practice social distancing. Don't shake hands. Practice the "pandemic sneeze/cough": sneeze on the inside of your elbow and not in your hand. Don't go to any of those insane Swine Flu parties set up by people who know absolutely nothing about this virus and are hoping to spread a mild H1N1 among themselves so that they can get free immunity.
If the management at your workplace is ignoring the pandemic, you can set up things like social distancing with your immediate co-workers and talk to them about recognizing symptoms and the importance of staying home if they are sick. Give them information about what to do for themselves and disregard those "you are an over-reacting crazy person" looks. Keep in mind: You might be saving someone's life and they might be risking someone's life. You own the moral high ground here and don't let them force you off it.
So buck it up folks. Keep taking FSBS Plus twice daily (and the new Seasonal Flu Solution twice daily), and move through your day-to-day routine as if you could become exposed to H1N1 at any moment. Be smart. And for the sake of everyone around you, be careful.
Let's get through this together, — Machaelle Wright
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this paper
is complete and accurate. However, neither the publisher nor the author are engaged
in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas,
procedures and suggestions contained in this paper are not intended as a substitute
for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your health require medical
supervision. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for
any loss, injury or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this
paper. The opinions expressed in this paper represent the personal views of the author.
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