bird flu

[Tiggeroo]

is it something we should really be concerned about? Are you actually stocking up your shelves. I just read a piece on people not having enough staples and that being a problem. Just due to illness in workers the store shelves will be low. If you stock up, would cooking fuel be a problem. If not that just having some bags of rice and dry beans should be sufficient and not take up alot of room.

 

[Fan2CSkr]

I am as prepared as I would be for any type of emergency. Water, batteries, nonperishables, candles, some cash. Although I am concerned I wont worry about things that are out of my control. Why sit, watch, wait and worry until we hear that human to human transmission has become significant. That may never happen.

 

[Tiggeroo]

i don't really have room to store up enough water for a week for five people. I'd have to be pretty sure something was going to happen in order for that to be something I"d do. Then I'd line my hallway with it or something. I'm thinking i'll up my emergency prep with some rice, beans, canned tomatoes, tuna, etc. I might even get some packs of flu meds and a big tylenol. That would be the end of it. If the country lost power or heat/cooking gas there is not alot I could do to prepare for more then a week or so without getting crazy and creating a huge pantry/shelter in my unheated basement.

 

[MALE*RN*777]

I can't be sure but the last count of those dying from bird flu was very very very very low. (I think less than 100 or 200 worldwide) What about the Common Flu, HIV, Polio, etc., and other things we were all suppose to be afraid of at one time.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Is there a recent "bird flu" scare I am not aware of? I know that they found BF recently in England, right?

I suppose you should always be prepared for any emergency.
Am I ready? Nope...Probably could get through a couple of weeks and that is it.

 

[WDWVillain]

I wrote a bit on this subject, it is what I do...there is a very little chance of this happening, and read on it will tell you why..

The Avian Flu & Food Safety

By Me




Asian bird flu is H5N1 highly pathogenic Avian influenza(AI)- A disease of birds that has occurred overseas but has never been detected in North America. The U.S. poultry industry is working with our partners in government to guard commercial poultry flocks.
In The article “Highly Pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza Outbreaks in Poultry and in humans: Food Safety implications” by the World Health Organization,
the programs that are now in place will keep avian influenza out of our food
supply and limit the chance that it may become more dangerous to humans.
Asian bird flu could most likely spread to commercial flocks through contact with infected wild birds. The top priority is therefore to prevent such contact. Numerous barriers are in place to accomplish this.
In the United States, nearly all commercial chickens and turkeys are grown in
enclosed housing with restricted access to the outdoors. The animals simply never
go outside and are kept in the same building from shortly after they hatch until
taken to the processing plant. Wild birds are not allowed into the buildings.
This is very different from conditions in Asia, where chickens and other
poultry are allowed to run at large and mix with wild birds that may carry the
virus. Human cases of avian influenza are typically associated with these types of
“village chickens” or backyard poultry.
Poultry growers (farmers) and the companies with whom they work are keenly
aware of the need for biosecurity, the prevention of infection by physical barriers.
Access to farms is strictly limited, plastic boot covers and disinfectant foot baths
are encouraged; and growers are not permitted to have other types of poultry on
their farms, among other precautions.
The United States supply of poultry is overwhelmingly domestic in origin,
with all of the turkey and about 99.8% of chicken consumed in the U.S. being
produced in the U.S. The only exception is a small amount of chicken that comes
from Canada, which has veterinary and sanitary control systems recognized by the
U.S. Dept of Agriculture as equivalent to our own.
Futhermore, USDA has officially banned imports from any country or region
that has had Asian bird flu in domestic poultry.
The federal government has launched a program to take up to 100,000 samples
from wild birds across the country this year. Alaska is a major focus of the
sampling program in order to detect the presence of Asian bird flu in migratory
birds that spend the winter in Asia and summer in Alaska. The objective is to
detect any incursion of Asian bird flu into North America via this route and give
advance warning.

The U.S, department of Agricultures Animal and Plant Health inspection
service will be the lead responder. The infected flock will be destroyed and quarantine clamped on the infected farm and its neighbors. Intensive testing and surveillance will be instituted to prevent spread of the virus to other farms.
Under the NCC program, any chicken flock found to be infected with any type of H5 or H7 Avian Influenza, even the mild or “low-pathogenic” forms will be destroyed on the farm and will not enter the food supply in any way. Quarantine and surveillance procedures will be instituted and neighboring farms tested. The quarantine will remain until the area is clear of AI for at least 30 days.
Additional barriers exist: even if, by some remote chance, a chicken or turkey
carrying the Asian Avian Influenza virus enters the food supply, there is no reason
to think a person can get avian influenza from handling the meat. And even if
there were viruses in the meat, normal cooking (to 165 degrees) would kill them.
The World Health Organization and the U.S. government call for proper
handling and cooking of poultry products. The instructions are the same as they
have always been, and they are printed on each package of fresh chicken and
turkey sold in the U.S.
Basically, they are to keep the product refrigerated or frozen until cooking,
keep raw meat and poultry separate from other food, wash up after handling raw
meat or poultry, cook thoroughly, keep hot foods hot and refrigerate leftovers
immediately.
The poultry industry is well prepared for any problems that may occur with
avian influenza. The industry is working on its own and with partners in the state
and federal governments to protect flocks from the potential spread of Asian
Avian influenza and to ensure the safety of the food supply.

 

[meandtheguys2]

We buy whole grains, etc. in bulk anyway, so we would always have a "supply" available. If there were an emergency, whether a flu or natural disaster, we would go to our place in the country. There is free gas, and spring water.

I think that one needs to have the basics available for emergency situations. Clean water, bleach, flashlights and batteries, basic food supplies, and medications. And a can opener!

 

[disney1990]

I can't be sure but the last count of those dying from bird flu was very very very very low. (I think less than 100 or 200 worldwide) What about the Common Flu, HIV, Polio, etc., and other things we were all suppose to be afraid of at one time.

You are so right. Regular Flu kills over 30,000 a year in the United States and people don't get flu shots. Go figure.