Category: Plagues and Pandemics

Influenza Pandemic Update:

LJ in England sent us this: Swine flu deaths in Britain soar to 29 as 12 die in four days Andrew in England sent this from Yahoo UK: Pandemic threat ‘worse than terror’ From Cheryl: Great Pandemic Flu of 2009 is Coming and No One Can Stop It! Cheryl’s comment: “This is a 2006 novel, Another Place to Die by Sam North, called a blueprint for survival tips for the coming pandemic. Worth checking out. It might deserve a place next to Patriots.” SR recommended this: Fight for swine flu vaccine could get ugly


Three Letters Re: N95 Masks for Influenza Protection

Dear Jim and Family, I recently read your book “Patriots”. It was a great read and really scared me too. it brought to light all of fears I have in the back of my mind on how fragile society is and our economy. It is spurring me into action now although it will have to wait as I am deploying to Afghanistan in the next couple of months. I just read your section on the Swine Flu and the question of N95 masks and wearing them. As an 11-year veteran career firefighter and sergeant in the Army National Guard, I …



H1N1 Influenza: A Cytokine Storm Conclusion, But Still More Questions Than Answers

The good news on H1N1 (commonly called Swine Flu) is that in current strains the death rate appears to be as low as 1 in 2,000 infections, at least in First World countries with modern hospital facilities. The bad news is that at least 60% of world’s population is expect to contract the bug, and that further mutations are probable. The Mutation Question Mutations to less virulent strains are the historic norm for viruses but there is the risk of one that is very deadly. (To explain: in the grand scheme of things, a mutation with high lethality is is …


Letter Re: Recent Experience with an N95 Protective Mask

Dear Mr. Rawles- I am writing to tell other Survival Blog readers about a recent experience I had with an N95 mask (with no exhalation port.) My husband and I just bought a 30 year old single wide trailer with 30 years worth of dust, mold, and cat hair. After day of being in the trailer I could feel my allergies start to grow worse by the minute. To clean up the dust, cat hair, and other allergens we went to the local hardware store and rented a Rug Doctor to shampoo the carpets. While shampooing the carpets (which was …


Influenza Pandemic Update:

Swine flu shots at school: Bracing for fall return (Thanks for John in Ohio for the link) A Sign of Things To Come? Argentine Banks Close to Help Stop Spread of the Swine Flu School-Age Children to Get Vaccinations First Swine Flu Deaths in UK Double as Country Now Has Third Highest Cases Britain’s first ‘healthy’ swine flu victim dies – the 15th fatality here in total Obese Exposed as Swine Flu Collides with Fat Epidemic “An unexpected characteristic has emerged among many swine flu victims who become severely ill: They are fat. … People infected with the bug who …


Influenza Pandemic Update:

Argentine Businesses Hit By Swine Flu Swine Flu Vaccine Likely to Be Ready in Mid-October Swine Flu on Main US Afghan Base Canada: Tamiflu Resistance In Saskatchewan Jonesy sent us these last two flu items: Tamiflu Resistance in San Francisco “The case suggests swine flu – a form of influenza Type A, subtype H1N1 – is capable of not only developing drug resistance but also spreading between humans in that resistant form, said Dr. Arthur Reingold, professor at UC Berkeley School of Public Health.” “[The] patients in Japan and in Denmark were taking Tamiflu prophylactically [as a preventive measure], said …



Influenza Pandemic Update:

Four Britons Die From Swine Flu; Tips to Help You Fight the Flu “Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I’ve previously reported, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of all kinds, and vitamin D deficiency is likely the true culprit behind the seasonality of the flu — not the flu virus itself.” Argentines question government as flu spreads Swine Flu Worries Spark Cambridge Jail Riots Northern Hemisphere Bracing for Fall Flu Carnage Explosion of Swine Flu Deaths in Argentina Homeless People Die After Trial Bird Vaccination In Poland



Influenza Pandemic Update:

Reader L. Jean sent this: UK Government prediction: 40 deaths per day from swine flu. L. Jean’s comment: “[I really have no idea where the figures come from as sources aren’t quoted in the article, and it doesn’t seem to be causing any panic, in fact most people just don’t believe it, and are saying ‘it’s just fl’” and are refusing to take any precautions – which is bad news for the rest of us. I’m still waiting to find out if it’s a cytokine storm that kills or not – perhaps not if all deaths so far have been …


Influenza Pandemic Update:

Mycroft sent us this: Pandemic is here: Time to panic? Now, H1N1 is in Africa New Flu Strain Has Pet Owners Worried Former Marine Claims Illness From Mystery Vaccine “Target 5 [a television news team] has discovered that an alarming number of U.S. troops are having severe reactions to some of the vaccines they receive in preparation for going overseas. ‘This is the worst cover-up in the history of the military,” said an unidentified military health officer who fears for his job. A shot from a syringe is leaving some U.S. servicemen and women on the brink of death.’”


Influenza Pandemic Update:

Map: US swine flu by state (Thanks to JP for that link) A/H1N1 Swine Flu Tamiflu Resistance Spreading British Medical Association Warns Parents Against “Swine Flu Parties” UK: Girl, 9, Dies in Big Surge of Swine Flu Cases Swine Flu Outbreak Worsens in Argentina New England Journal of Medicine: Spread of a Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Via Global Airline Transport


Letter Re: Avoiding Influenza When Traveling Overseas

James, My work forces me to travel frequently – 80 to 90% of the time. And it’s not to fun places like Miami or Rio but rather third world locales (just coming back from a swing through the ‘stans – Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan — where I have a large telecommunications project). As such I get exposed to every imaginable sort of illness. I finally found a doctor I could work with when he started to ask where I had been lately rather than what the symptoms were. As such I have a larger than normal medical kit …


Influenza Pandemic Update:

CDC Eyes 600 Million Doses of Swine Flu Shots “Health officials said that a swine flu vaccination campaign could be only a few months away, and that as many as 60 million doses could be ready by September.” [JWR Adds: With the current rapid rate of mutation, one can only wonder about the efficacy of this “rush job” vaccine.] Oregon’s Second Swine Flu Death “The child was younger than 5 year old [and] had ‘no known underlying medical conditions and a two-day history of fever,’ and was not hospitalized, officials said.” Drug-Resistant Swine Flu Seen in Danish Patient The BBC …