Prepared for Flu Season…and what is Pandemic Flu?

The onset of winter often gets us thinking of flu season. Many of us prepare by getting flu shots; if you’ve ever had a severe case of the flu you’ll never want to experience it again. But what if a strain of the flu virus infects you, your friends, your coworkers and maybe as much as half the people in your community? And what if we couldn’t get the spread of the virus under control? That is known as a Pandemic, and it’s one of the many potential disaster threats we should prepare for.

Pandemic flu is a very different disaster from the earthquake disaster we often think about in the Bay Area. And how we react to the two events is very different. After an earthquake many of us will mass-shelter. In a pandemic, we have to keep apart. In an earthquake the infrastructure may be severely damaged. In a pandemic the infrastructure will be unaffected, but our access to it will be limited. And there is more.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health has prepared simple guidelines that help us prepare for pandemic flu. Here is a link to their website. There is also a video they produced on the site to show healthy ways to limit the spread of a flu virus and protect oneself and others during a flu pandemic.

And remember, preparedness is not complicated or expensive. Arming yourself with knowledge and a few essentials is the best practice to prepare for all kinds of emergencies and disasters.