Infectious Disease in the TEOTWAWKI World- Part 5, by Militant Medic

Treatment For Specific Diseases

So…maybe you’re feeling a little overwhelmed at this point. Yeah, I know how you feel, but we are not done yet. Again, it is my goal to give you good working knowledge of this topic, practical knowledge that hopefully in the bad times to come can save your life or the lives of your friends and family.

In a modern hospital when we really want to know which antibiotic is best, we get a sample of your blood, urine, spinal fluid, or puss from a wound and grow the bacteria in the lab with a bunch of antibiotics to see which antibiotic kills it best. Then, we start you on that antibiotic in confidence that it will kill the pathogen and get you back to good health.

In the post-apocalyptic scenario, you will have no such luxury. You will be having to play the odds. For instance, the bacteria most commonly isolated from acute ear infections are Strep pneumoniae (~55%), Haemophilus influenza (~25%), and Moraxella catarrhaliis (~15%). So you would pick Amoxicillin, since it generally kills all three. However, if it is one of the 2-3% of ear infections caused by Staph aureus, you would experience a treatment failure, as Amox does not kill staph. Playing the odds will be the only choice you have without the ability to culture bacteria and test their sensitivities.

Antibiotic Dosing Recommendations

Recommendations have been placed on the PDF so you can print it out and place it in your medical preps.

AntibioticDosing

Amazon has some of these antibiotics available, though you will have to get some from a veterinary supply or pet store. (Editors note: You may want to check out our advertisers as well.) The PDF recommends which of these nine (actually eight, because I’m not going to consider penicillin for anything) pet antibiotics should be used for each of the listed infections.

Very specific weight-based dosing is available for kids, and you can look it up if you desire, but usually a good ballpark dose will get the job done. With most of these medications erring on the high side would be better than going too low.

Again, I must stress that this advice is only good for a TEOTWAWKI scenario. The recommendations on this list assume you only have access to the nine (eight) antibiotics listed above, and in many cases I had to recommend an inferior (second or third line) choice because I only had the nine (eight) above to choose from. This is especially true of the more severe infections (peritonitis, osteomyelitis, septic joints, meningitis) that are usually treated in the hospital with IV antibiotics and surgery. In the modern functional world, there may be much better choices for the following infections. So, if you get an infection, go see your doctor, and he will use the most up-to-date research and most modern medications to get you back on your feet.

I’m doing my best to provide good advice for AFTER it all falls apart. I will not be held responsible for any harm caused if you should use this information before that time.

Let’s Treat Some Patients

So…

I have given you a basic understanding of the different pathogens that cause infections in people.

I have given you a basic understanding of the nine different pet antibiotics most available to us as preppers.

I have given you the first line and alternate agents (of the nine available to us; remember the hospital might have better ones) to treat a variety of infections you are likely to encounter.

And I gave you a big nasty list of patients needing your help. (Too bad you didn’t have better OPSEC.)

So let’s treat some patients and get them out of our front yard.

1) Your wife has a sore throat without a runny nose or cough. It hurts to swallow. Little red spots are scattered across the back of her mouth and her tonsils are swollen and beefy red without white spots.

Diagnostic features: a) sore throat WITHOUT runny nose or coughing, and b) little red spots (palatial petechia, which are classic for strep, that are beefy red WITHOUT white patches.

Diagnosis: Strep throat

Treatment: Keflex, Amox, or ampicillin.

2) Your son cut his hand a few days ago while sharpening an ax and now the cut is red, hot, and oozing puss.

Diagnostic features: Trauma with signs of infection (redness, warmth, pain, swelling, puss).

Diagnosis: Cellulitis. Probably not resistant strain.

Treatment: Keflex or Cipro.

3) Your other son also cut his hand while salvaging some stuff from a nursing home. His wound is also red, hot, and oozing puss.

Diagnostic features: Trauma with signs of infection (redness, warmth, pain, swelling with puss).

Diagnosis: Cellulitis. Increased risk for MRSA due to injury happening at nursing home or hospital.

Treatment: Bactrim or Clinda

4) Your grandson (who never got his vaccinations because your son didn’t believe the “lies” of big pharma) is having coughing fits that take his breath away and end in a “Whoop” of inhaled air.

Diagnostic features: Paroxismal cough with “Whoop”

Diagnosis: Whooping cough (pertussis)

Treatment: Bactrim or Cipro. Even with treatment, children will cough for up to three months.