The recent coverage of the possible coming pandemic of Avian (bird) flu has been wide spread. Many are frightened by the threat of this dangerous illness. Others do not seem to take the possibility seriously. This is a rather frightening illness, which does have a high fatality rate. However, currently it is not spread from person to person. You can contract the disease from the infected birds themselves. You can learn more about bird flu here.
There are steps that we can take in order to protect our families from a possible outbreak of bird flu. One site that you can visit to learn more about this is www.pandemicflu.gov. It offers sound advice on what to plan for in the event of a pandemic. Many of these steps are similar to preparing for a hurricane or another natural disaster. Being prepared will help to protect your family in case this emergency does happen.
The site suggests that in the event of the pandemic many normal services may stop functioning for a time. This includes churches, grocery stores, banks, and your job. You will want to prepare your resources so that you will have food and money available to you, should you need it. This includes storing nonperishable food and water. The site recommends storing at least two weeks worth of food.
It is likely that schools will shut down to stop the spread of infection. If you have school age children you will want to prepare a back up plan for them. You may want to plan activities that they can complete to continue their education. You will also want to teach your children the importance of washing their hands frequently. Prevention is the best protection you have. Make sure that you are taking care of yourself, and washing your hands frequently.
Hopefully, the pandemic will never happen. We will have all worried over nothing. However, it is better to be prepared for the pandemic, and have it never happen, then it is to be unprepared to deal with it, and it come anyway. I hope that you will take the time to begin simple preparations today