Pandemic Survival
This page contains information about survival in a pandemic while living in urban areas, also you will find useful tips on the methods some viruses use to spead from one person to another, as well as the precautions that should be taken to protect yourself from being infected. Infectious diseases spead more easily in cities, so you should be exta careful, and follow the tips provided here.
What's a Pandemic?
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance a continent, or even worldwide. However, flu pandemics exclude seasonal flu, unless the flu of the season is a pandemic. Throughout history there have been a number of pandemics, such as smallpox and tuberculosis. More recent pandemics include the HIV pandemic and the 2009 swine flu pandemic.
Pandemics are easily spread in urban areas, because of their heavily populated nature. Therefore it's very important to understand the way pandemics spread and how to prevent them from infecting you.
Pandemics have different methods of spreading, so to protect from a wide spread disease, you need to learn how it can infect you. If we focus on the main killers of our new age, we will find out that the swine flu, is one of the biggest killers, and therefore it's necessary to point out the ways H1N1 spreads from one person to another.
Spread of 2009 H1N1 virus is thought to occur in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something – such as a surface or object – with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose or rubbing their eyes.
How to Protect Yourself
When living in urban areas, you will have contact with people at a very frequent basis. That means your chances of getting infected is higher. Here are tips to protect yourself from being infected, whether it's a pandemic or just a regular flu season, the following steps are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like the flu.
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- Avoid crowds and other social distancing measures (especially during pandemics).
If you are sick with flu-like illness, it is recommended that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine for the majority of the cases.) Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.
Influenza History
- The Greek physician Hippocrates, the "Father of Medicine", first described influenza in 412 BC.
- The first influenza pandemic was recorded in 1580 and since then influenza pandemics occurred every 10 to 30 years.
- The "Asiatic Flu", 1889–1890, was first reported in May 1889 in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, and spread worldwide in a matter of months. It had a very high attack and mortality rate. About 1 million people died in this pandemic."
- The "Spanish flu", 1918–1919. Had spread to become a worldwide pandemic on all continents, and eventually infected an estimated one third of the world's population (or ≈500 million persons). Unusually deadly and virulent, it ended nearly as quickly as it began, vanishing completely within 18 months. In six months, some 50 million were dead; some estimates put the total of those killed worldwide at over twice that number.
- The "Asian Flu", 1957–58. An H2N2 virus caused about 70,000 deaths in the United States. First identified in China in late February 1957, the Asian flu spread to the United States by June 1957. It caused about 2 million deaths globally.
- The "Hong Kong Flu", 1968–69. An H3N2 caused about 34,000 deaths in the United States. This virus was first detected in Hong Kong in early 1968, and spread to the United States later that year. This pandemic of 1968 and 1969 killed an estimated one million people worldwide.
More information: We hope this page was helpful and provided you with some survival techniques on how to take survive a pandemic. Check out our main page for more survival scenarios here Survival Guide, knowledge is light, and knowledge can save your life. Make sure you do your best to know what to do in a survival situation and then hope for the best.