Do We Have a Plan?

So, this is my 80 blog post! I think I'm getting into the groove a bit. I suppose a more momentous thing than the number of posts I have is what is on my mind tonight as I write. I'm truly not panicked or even anxious, but I'm wondering if my beloved friends and family are prepared should this swine flu be "the" one we've all been hearing about. I suppose I hear more because of my connections. I lived in Hong Kong when H5N1 broke out. I was there when they slaughtered all the chickens to prevent further spread. I remember watching the Buddhist priests carry huge bags of fish that they'd purchased at the meat markets. They were returning them to the water to help appease the chicken spirits.

Anyway, I also have a friend who is the head of infectious control at our local hospital. She's told me about the plans they've worked on for a couple of years. They even have a plan where to put all of the overflow of the deceased. They anticipate so much death with a pandemic that they will not be able to keep up with burials. Could this be the one? Who knows?! It could fade away tomorrow. Or not.

I'm truly not worried, though. I have a plan and I hope you do, too! I've studied the nature of the 1918 flu that killed 50 million people. It came in three waves. The second wave was the most deadly. The death rate was around 50%. However, my church ran sanitariums at that time and they used excellent nursing care, natural remedies, and prayer. It is my understanding that they lost no one!

Please do not take anything in this post as medical advice. I'm NOT a medical professional. But I'm going to list the plans I've made after talking to doctors, nurses and herbalists. I hope it encourages you to do your own research and make your own plan. If we are prepared, there is no need to panic!

Prevention: face masks, latex gloves, a quarantine plan
Preparedness: enough food for 3 months; plans to obtain water and cook food should utilities be compromised; well stocked on pet food; the Red Cross is recommending that people have a two month supply of their medications on hand.
Treating supplies, should the worst happen:
* Elderberry syrup (elderberry literally weakens the pointed end of viruses that penetrate cell walls, thereby greatly reducing the risk one actually coming down with the illness) I'm told that the Native Americans who took elderberry during the 1918 epidemic did not die.
*Oil of oregano (been proven to kill bird flu in a test tube)
*Fresh garlic
*Supplies for hydrotherapy
*Charcoal (In late stage of some of the flu strains, blood can seep from all orifices of the body. I'm told that packing them with charcoal can help.)
*Plenty of ibuprofen and acetomenaphen for the high fevers and inflammation

Some points to be aware of:
Incubation at this point is 24-48 hours
It attacks most visciously the strong healthy adults. The reason for this is that their immune systems are the strongest and fight the hardest and cause a great deal of inflammation.
As I said, I'm not a medical professional. These are merely bits and pieces I've learned and am using to make a plan.
My great-grandmother was a homesteader in North Dakota during 1918. Her mother homesteaded with her, but also took jobs in town. She wrote to my great-grandmother and told her not to come into town because so many people were dying of the swine flu. They both survived!

I'd love to hear of your plans/research! - Nanette