What would you do in case of a pandemic like emergency?
Answers
• Create a list of all cell, work, and home numbers, and e-mail addresses of all family members.
•Discuss a plan if a family member becomes ill and lives out of state.
•Prepare for the possibility that airports and roads may be closed and think about a location to meet when travel is possible.
•Each family member should have a medication list that is shared among members.
•Have nonprescription drugs and other health supplies on hand, including pain relievers, stomach remedies, cough and cold medicines, fluids with electrolytes, and vitamins.
•Have a thermometer on hand.
Talk with family members and loved ones about how they would be cared for if they got sick, or what will be needed to care for them in your home.
Answer:
A pandemic, or the spread of an infectious disease worldwide or over a large geographical area, can be frightening to anticipate. Not knowing where the disease will spread next or if you will be able to protect yourself may leave you feeling vulnerable. Whether you are a parent or medical professional, it is important to taken certain precautions. Especially in light of the recent developments of the swine flu that began in Mexico and has begun to spread around the world, find out how to protect yourself and your family for a pandemic with these tips, tools, and resources.
Learn the basics to ensure you are prepared in the event of a pandemic with these resources.
Preparing For Pandemic Influenza — What You Can Do. This resource offers the basics on what communities, businesses, and individuals can do to prepare for a pandemic.
Pandemic Influenza: What You Can Do to Be Ready. Learn what to expect and how you can protect yourself and your loved ones in case of a flu pandemic.
Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response. Published by the World Health Organization, this handbook is put together by experts in the field and provides an in depth look at pandemic influenza along with recommendations for government, communities, and families.
Pandemic Influenza Planning: A Guide for Individuals and Families. Learn the differences between seasonal flu and pandemic flu, learn how your life may be disrupted during a pandemic, learn what you can do to keep yourself healthy, and more in this guide.
Swine influenza frequently asked questions. Another publication from the WHO, this one is briefer, but offers detailed information about swine flu, how to prevent it, and what to do if you think you have it.
Pandemic Influenza: Behavioral Health Tips on How to Prepare. From basic tips to preparing for pandemic influenza to preparing yourself mentally to helping children cope, this guide offers many helpful suggestions to handle the stress of pandemic influenza.
Flu Checklist. From the Red Cross, this guide helps you learn the difference between seasonal flu, epidemics, and pandemics, as well as know what to do if you get sick.
Questions about Swine Flu. Learn how swine flu is transmitted and how to protect yourself from it by watching this video from the New York Times.
How to Prepare for a Swine Flu Epidemic. This eHow article offers basic steps to help avoid exposure to swine flu.
Swine Flu FAQ. From WebMD, this list of questions and answers addresses concerns such as how the virus is spread, how it’s treated, and how dangerous it is.
Answers to Swine Flu Questions. CNN has compiled it’s own list of questions and answers, some overlap with WebMD and some are unique.
Top 20 Ways to Prepare for a Pandemic. Published by British Columbia Ministry of Health Services, this list provides advice to help prepare yourself in case of a pandemic.
Preparing the Family
If you have the additional concerns of making sure your family is protected during a pandemic, then take a look at these resources to find out how to create family emergency plans, how to talk with children, and much more.
Family Emergency Plan. This print-out provides a place for you to keep all of your family’s important information in one place in case of an emergency or disaster.
You Can Ask. From Sesame Street, this guide helps parents understand the child’s perspective during a time of stress and also helps parents know how to talk with both preschool and school aged children about emergencies, disasters, and health stressors.
Make a Plan. This page offers a few suggestions for family emergency preparedness as well as links to forms you can complete.
Pandemic Flu…What to do, what to do!. This site for children offers an overview of what a pandemic is and how families can prepare for one.
Preparing for Pandemic Flu: A Family Checklist Video. This Real Time video tells four things parents can do in case of a pandemic and defines different versions of pandemics.
Talk it Out. With a focus on emergency planning in general, this site offers tips for children to prepare in case of any emergency.
How to Swine Flu Proof You and Your Family. Emphasizing ways to prevent the spread of swine flu, this article offers some basics to protect your family.
How to Avoid the Swine Flu in Your Family. This article stresses other options to keep your family safe such as limiting travel and avoiding petting zoos during the emergency.
The swine flu: How to keep your family healthy. Looking at ways to boost overall health, this article provides sound advice for keeping your family healthy in order to fend off any illness that may come your way.
Talking with Children about a Flu Pandemic. This guide offers practical tips on what you can say to your children to prepare them in case of a flu pandemic.
Pandemic Flu Preparation: Hold Family Meetings. Learn how and why you should hold family meetings to prepare your family for pandemic flu.
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