Some of what follows is fictional, but then again, oftentimes there’s just “too convenient” a fit between the observed facts of the world and a very conspiratorial viewpoint.
I mentioned this to Peoplenomics.com subscribers earlier and with the withdrawal of Peace Corps workers from the hot zone overnight, it’s time to start seriously contemplating prepping just in case the ‘worst outcome” happens and Ebola gets a foothold inside the USA.
Here’s the problem in a nutshell:
- Nearly 7,000 people are dead from the present outbreak so far.
- Quietly, since April, Department of Defense has been beefing up biohazard equipment levels domestically. And these are now in place in all 50 states.
- Chatter on internet discussion groups (example) are way up and a lot of discussion floats around Executive Orders
- And yes, CDC has a page up that explains the legality of strict population controls:
“The federal government derives its authority for isolation and quarantine from the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Under section 361 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S. Code § 264), the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized to take measures to prevent the entry and spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the United States and between states. The authority for carrying out these functions on a daily basis has been delegated to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”
The WHO, meantime, is NOT issuing flight restrictions, which seems odd to me, who whatever.
You may not like what this means but think of the movie plot for a monster sci-fi adventure:
The story begins with a president making an unpopular decision to bring as many young people in from South and Central America as possible.
As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that there’s prior knowledge of a killer disease and the idea is that in the USA, this sudden crop of young people would help keep the gene pool broad as most of the world dies off.
The plot is further thickened by messaging inn subtle indications in mass media with serialized television featuring content like “The Last Ship” in which a world-ending disease is portrayed and the USA Navy is cast as the uberhero, because it’s a Navy ship that’s presently wandering (in the series) around Central America (!) trying to find just the “right monkeys” for testing of a possible cure for the disease.
In the end, the series evolves into something that’s a cross between “The Last Ship,” Michael Crichton’s “The Andromeda Strain,” and “Noah.”
Oh, yes, and all orchestrated by our own version of the MIB, our long-hypothecated Directorate 153 – a shadowy organization with its roots in the Cold War. Charged with thinking the unthinkable, the organization applied minimal influence necessary to “guide” society in ways that have a highest (computer simulation) probabilities of perpetuating the species of humans that hold to (nominally) American values.
Sounds like it may (rather amazingly) play out this way. And in our sci-fi version of current events, the only thing the script-writers leave out is the bio-engineered aspects of the disease and the extraordinarily high cost of the cure.
Which then (by the time this “fictional” novel winds up, leaves the planet with a very Club of Rome-like (Limits to Growth) population of 100-million and a perfect (for the Elites) population that includes mainly them and a servant/slave class.
The Prepping Part
This is simple: For the next 90-days, double your grocery bill and for each item you buy, store one. And when comes to fruits and vegetables, try some canned goods.
You might also book-mark the CDC website’s Ebola Outbreak page over here, and be asking yourself: “If I had to remain in my home or on my own property for 90-days to six months, how would I fare? What would I do, how would all that play out?”
In the meantime, you can get a sense of the messaging that would accompany the arrival of the disease in the USA except that unlike the advertising posters that are making the rounds in Africa, ours would contain the local emergency number for the USA: 911…
There prepping for this kind of thing isn’t terribly difficult: Food, Water, and something to do, mainly.
If I were still nose-down in the corporate world and chairing a staff meeting, it would be an interesting strategic planning discussion for a whole management team to come up with a plan to keep providing whatever they do/make when confronted by an outbreak.
For the people at home, this would be a fine time to catch up on reading (so a year’s worth of books on the shelf is always a good thing to have handy).
Then here’s the medical supplies, but since your Tamiflu won’t be useful, the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO HAVE AT HOME IS 5-6 JUGS OF BLEACH.
The CDC website over here has a dandy section of cleaning and sanitizing with bleach.
I assume you’re going to get into the habit of actually using those HandiWipe type things on the grocery store push cart handles? Boxes of nitrile gloves are good, un-powdered for me, thanks.
My disease prevention specialist son taught us the fine art of turning these inside-out as you take them off, which is the right way to do things, so you don’t touch the contaminated part…You can practice this with a can of paint next time you’re painting a room…pays to keep sharp on this stuff. If you ANY pain on your hands, go back and stick your hands in and do it again.
Another one? When you go out to eat (if that’s still doable), when you wash your hands after using the restroom, wash and then use the paper towel as a barrier to open the bathroom door. Any restaurant that has a lick of sense about public health positions a waste container when you don’t have to make a “three-pointer from outside the key” to dispose of the spent towel after you’ve flung the door open.
Tray of bleach solution for the shoes when you get home…I mean serious hot-zone stuff, yeah?
Other than prophylaxis, there’s not much else out there. A read of this Mayo Clinic (hold the mustard) page is worth a look, too.
To be sure, there are some reports, like this NBC News report that getting early treatment can raise survival rates to 75%. Which sounds mighty encouraging until you read that it’s not from a miracle drug…
“There are no specific drugs to treat Ebola but doctors say providing saline can help replace the fluids lost to vomiting and diarrhea and fever reducers can help control spiking temperatures. “
Whether that works remains to be seen, since it may have been strain-related…the medicine in the field is just making its way onto the net. But given that, a few serious prepping goods?
Gatorade Powdered Drink Mix, Frost Glacier Freeze, 76.5 oz., Makes 9 Gallons
Ultima Replenisher, Red Raspberry, 90-Serving Canister, 14 Ounce
RecoverORS Adult Clinical Rehydration Powder for Food Poisoning, Hangovers, Diarrhea – 25 Pack
If you had a few bags of saline solution and some needles handy (along with some training in how to stick a vein and run a drip line), that might be useful.
If Ebola does come to America, Ure’s truly will be glued to the radio and the Internet while chomping down copious amounts of Oh Boy! Oberto Teriyaki Beef Jerky 9 Oz (Pack of 2).
My logic (while maybe not medically sound): I want salty snacks around to increase my bodies water retention ahead of time. If Ebola lands, hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate while chilling seems to be a reasonable course of treatment.
Not unlike a long weekend, I figure.
Say, you don’t beer would work, do you? The AskMen.com article over here sure seems to point thataway…scroll down to the hydration part.
But before you buy a keg thinking it will help, think again and do more reading: Beer washes out nutrients you’ll need. You might be able to doctor it up with tomato juice, a dash of Worcestershire Sauce, and eat it with a salty dill slice, but then that’s not beer at that point – more like a wannabe Bloody Mary. And we know those don’t help.
If you’re looking for the right drinks and food? I’d go with saltines and 7-Up trading off with my old flu favorite Pedialyte, aspirin and a few Benadryl to help sleep along.
I’m a huge fan of daily vitamins too, when faced by flu. Bodies need building parts so a vitamin and broth and saltines and jerky…
Once past the hump, a cup of mushroom soup and a fried cheese sandwich sounds pretty good, too, but whether you’ll be able to keep it down, that’s a different problem. The bread part, I mean.
That is, assuming the power stays on and you’ve either mastered the high art of making bread (from packaged no-brainer boxes of mix) in the SunOven, or you’ve got enough frozen bread in the freezer and the power stays on…
Sorry for the (more or less) serious nature of this morning’s discussion, but the point of the News is being able to see what’s coming and do something about it.
If you wait for the rest of the herd to move, that is a stampeded and those tend to end poorly.
An d if nothing comes from the Ebola threat, at least you’re ready for flu season this fall.
Write when you break-even…
George george@ure.net
