Pandemic Flu Central

(I had planned on doing this earlier today, but puppy’s been sick today. Just as mysteriously as it came on, it has went away. )

I have planned on setting up a “pandemic flu central” at home, should something of that nature ever happen.  Right now, my “office” is in a non family location, meaning I’m the only one who really uses the spot my computer is at. O.K., it’s cottontop’s little corner of the world! ;-)  

Should something of a phenomenon take place, such as pandemic flu, some weird alien virus, or anything else that could fall under “pandemic,”, I’m moving my little corner of the world, out of hiding and into the dining room, which is connected to the kitchen, and living room. That way, we’ll be able to view the t.v as events happens, and check my sites and news on the net, and talk on the phone, without being  stuffed in my little corner like sardines!!

I’m a sucker for maps, so I’ll probably hang my map of the world and the U.S. up to track developing events. (this must come from tracking the Indo news, because I never use to do this.)  The phone will be ringing (and it’ll be my mother wanting me to come home! “Yes Mother. I’ll leave N.Y. and travel back to Texas, in the middle of a pandemic) Phone calls will be made to check on family and friends. We will be glued to the t.v., and I’ll be glued to the ‘puter.  The activity will be choatic as we decide what last minute things need to be done. Papers will be all over the table, as I’m a paper person and I can’t think unless I have alot of papers…..everywhere!

Underneath  those papers, will be my emergency notebook. It is perhaps the only thing in my life I’m organized in. I wing everything else! I know there will be things that still need to be done, and to be purchased. There always is. Preppers strive for the unobtainable; To be finished. 

Pandemic central will stay in place as long as there is a need for it.  Probably until we loose power. It’ll be a very important place for my family and become a center of our lives for as long as the situation mandates it to be. It might be a information station for friends stopping by to see if we’ve heard anything, and to get new information from what they’ve heard and follow up on that.  

I do realize that the net will be near impossible to use in such an event. It will be all I have, as I won’t rely on the t.v. or radio for a realistic interpretation of events. I’ll need to know what’s going on everywhere, not just locally or in the states, but places like Indonesia, China, ect. My hope is to assess the situation before the net becomes swamped, and decide what our next step will be.

Why it’s so hard to guage where us and  H5N1 stands

While the regulars to the flu boards already know the answer to this, for those who don’t it pretty much stands like this. Indonesia and China do not/are not wanting to send samples of their H5N1 virus’ collected from positive patients, and poultry. It’s just as inportant to get samples from dead poultry as from infected humans. Without the sequences of the virus, we are at a loss to know exactly if H5N1 is mutated, if there is one or more new strains, and what areas these strains are infecting. We could literally watch this viurs move around if these two countries would just cooperate. But it’s not as simple as that, and for the time being, we the people, are left watching, and waiting. What concerns me, o.k., scares me, is that when the samples are finally sent, and sequences are released(should they do so), will we see the mutation that will put us one step closer? Will we see one or two  more new strains?  It’s been quiet some time since we’ve seen any sequences, so the new set should be very interesing. There is suppose to be 2 samples being sent to WHO from either China or Indonesia. (sorry, it’s late  and I can’t remember)

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by. 

Until next time,

cottontop