Interesting, those most at risk of dying are between the ages of 20 and
40. Also, pregnant women might be the least likely to survive. Dr.
Osterholm explained to the audience that “The people who have the
healthiest immune systems are the ones that succumb to the virus because
the immune system goes into overdrive."
The coming pandemic may be similar to the pandemic of 1918. Known
popularly as the “Spanish flu,” it killed more people, more quickly,
than any other known epidemic in the history of mankind.
Scientists analyzed viral gene samples taken from flu victims preserved
in the Alaskan permafrost and from preserved Army US hospital biospy
materials. This information allowed them to reconstruct certain proteins
of the 1918 influenza virus, such as the "hemagluttinin membrane
glycoprotein," (HA). Drs James Stevens and Ian Wilson, of the Scripps
Research Institute in La Jolla California, found that the 1918 viral HA
looks similar to that in bird flu viruses, confirming its avian origin.
This concerns medical experts.
According to Dr. Osterholm, common surgical masks will do very little to
stop the spread of the virus. Surgical masks prevent doctors from
breathing directly on patients, but they have holes and vents on the
sides to keep air flowing freely through the mask.
Other masks are better. The N95 mask has sealed sides that will block
contaminated air. Dr. Osterhold says the virus can live outside the
mask for two to three days. For this reason, you should dispose of the
mask after each use to avoid contamination. Since these masks are
shipped from overseas, they will likely be in short supply when a
pandemic hits.
If this strain leads to a pandemic there will likely be shortages of all
sorts of medicine, since much of it is imported from overseas
manufacturers. There may be shortages of blood pressure medicine,
cholesterol medicine, chemotherapy medicines, and nearly every other
medication we rely on.
Then there will be logistical problems. Truck drivers will either be
too afraid to go to work or may become infected themselves, leaving them
unable to work. Hospitals will become overcrowded, and other important
facilities may quit working.
The experts recommend keeping enough supplies for several weeks of
isolation. I would think the more the better. It will be important to
have water, especially if your water supply depends on electricity
(pumps / wells).
Dr. Osterhold said it is not a matter of “if” the pandemic hits, it is a
matter of “when”. This current H5N1 avian flu virus may not mutate so
that it is easily transmitted between humans, but it is just a matter of
time before one does.
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