Prepping for a pandemic 2

[wheresmymojo]

Second thread on prepping for a potential Coronavirus pandemic...following the latest news and information as well as prepping info.

When quoting estimates like mortality rates, replication rates, incubation periods and similar I try to stick to evidence based, scientific studies and will link to sources (unless already linked to them previously).

Generally speaking I use reputable sources of information like well regarded news outlets for other information and will provide links.

Sometimes I may post things outside of this as 'interesting' or such like. I will always caveat these as to be taken with caution.

As much as possible I am attempting not to link to fake news. It's an evolving picture so may not be 100% successful but if something is later shown to be incorrect I will post a correction.

Oh come off it Handsoffisback ; it’s not completely out of order to suggest that the military may be called upon to offer aid in this case - they often step up and help out with big events - flooding etc; plus they were deployed to assist with the Ebola crisis and are widely used to offer humanitarian aid overseas. Arguably some of them have more experience to offer with this sort of thing than UK based medics do! It’s not that they’re “expendable”, they actually have a unique and valuable skill set and facilities that may make them even more appropriate than dusting out some old nurse accommodation. Likewise, it’s not insulting their experience to suggest that consulting with experts in epidemiology outside of the military would be sensible.

WeBuiltCisCityOnSexistRoles

Finally, a use for some of my more ill-advised Anne Summers purchased from my misspent youth!

Hi everyone - sorry if I've missed it, but has anyone mentioned Vicks or Olbas oil? Very good for mixing with hot water in a bowl with a t-towel over the head for clearing blocked heads/soothing throats. Generally good stuff to have in this time of year :)
Interesting thread. Am going to get organised - more likely to get flu, but good to be ready for any eventuality.

😁

From what I can see online there are no cases reported in subsaharan Africa. To me this seems vanishingly unlikely considering the vast numbers of air passengers that travel between China and Africa.
Does anyone else wonder about a secondary outbreak brewing in Africa but as yet undetected due to lack of surveillance?

Vet

There was a suggestion that testing in Africa was being undertaken in labs not on the same continent and hence there was a lag in results.

Tbh I’m very surprised at only 2 cases in the UK.

Veterinari it might be because certain areas are currently more preoccupied with Ebola, which has a much higher fatality rate

www.who.int/csr/don/30-january-2020-ebola-drc/en/

(Incidentally, there’s also notification of an outbreak of MERS rearing it’s ugly head in the UAE: www.who.int/csr/don/31-january-2020-mers-united-arab-emirates/en/ )

@T0taklyFuckedUpFamily You can just catch it again, passing it back and forth. We need this vaccination asap.

Can't find face masks for love or money.

Considering taking up crochet, maybe I can sell the pattern and make a fortune as well.

Thanks Book so are there reports of suspected cases awaiting test results then?
I haven't seen any which seems rather odd...

Also if anyone wants any background on coronaviruses and previous outbreaks (SARS and MERS) this podcast from two disease ecologists is very useful and also. Lists reliable sources of info
thispodcastwillkillyou.com/2020/02/04/episode-43-m-m-m-my-coronaviruses/

Actually half of Africa looks a bit buggared with various outbreaks at the moment, poor sods :(

www.businesslive.co.za/amp/bd/world/2020-02-05-high-risk-africa-considered-fragile-as-coronavirus-spreads/?__twitter_impression=true this is about Africa. From what I read from the WHO, most of Africa only received their testing kits TODAY

My friend had to make a homemade Easter bonnet for his DCs competition at school. I think he was thinking along the lines of Spider-Man type costume/hat combo but it looked unfortunately, and disturbingly, like a gimp mask. (We called it The Easter Gimp) I might see if he still has it.

But I actually, seriously, can see the advantage of some sort of wipe clean, latex based mask. It would be more effective than a fabric one? Personally I don't own any gimp masks myself but I see on Google some have zips for mouths so you wouldn't need to take it all off to eat.

I know this sounds lighthearted but I'm actually seriously thinking there might be something sensible in this.

I live in a very boring retirement area and whine about it endlessly but have discovered a plus - pensioners clearly aren't prepping! Our local B&Q had FFP3 masks, Savers had gloves, Milton wipes and hand gel so my very basic box of stuff to make me feel a bit better is stocked

How would you breathe through latex? @WeBuiltCisCityonSexistRoles

scousadelic I too was amazed that my local village pharmacy was stocking Milton hand gel as well as the sterilising fluid. The Coop had loads of Detol wipes too.

Just to inject a little lightness into a depressing thread DS2 (12) advised me that at school they're calling it "Kung Flu"

Lots of hand gel in lidl this evening. There was very little a couple of days ago so they've obviously re-stocked.

@ofwarren they appear to have little holes for nostrils (I dread to think what my internet search history looks like )

ALL I’m saying is that if you have a ball gag in your mouth it also handily prevents any suspicious possibly contaminated fluids from getting in there...

DS has come home with a nasty chesty cough and is warm, but children are germ factories aren’t they? I don’t for a second think it’s coronavirus, but we do have an influx of tourists in our village at the moment. How would I actually know? Surely it’s just a cold but how would I even go about checking without appearing to be a paranoid mother?

@WeBuiltCisCityOnSexistRoles definitely no good for coronavirus virus then, seen as though your nose is exposed

@AlohaMolly you wouldn't be able to check, and at the moment you wouldn't need to, unless he has been in direct contact with someone who has been to Wuhan. There are a lot of viruses going round at the moment. My kids have just got over one and me and their dad have bad chests currently.

AlohaMolly if he has a temperature it might be flu, or possibly a chest infection. I only have a temperature if I have flu or tonsillitis, not usually with a 'normal' cold. Might be worth a GP trip tomorrow in case of infection. Hope he is ok.

As we have more confirmed cases in the UK there will be more people unsure as to whether they have flu, coronavirus or just a bad cold. I'm a worrier so not sure how I'll react if DD develops any flu symptoms in the next few weeks!