So, the past week, the media whipped the planet into a near panic over the swine flu. People reacted accordingly. Results:
-N95 protective masks are getting ridiculously hard to get a hold of--most major national distributors are sold out and searching for more--millions more.
-Hand sanitizer supplies have been hit hard as well.
-Governments and businesses are starting to react accordingly. Threatened school districts are closing down, businesses are putting proactive policies in place.
However, it seems like the media frenzy has let up in the past few days, after reports that the flu might not be as serious as first thought. Some experts are saying that it might not be more serious than seasonal flu--may be a false alarm.
Next week will give us a good view about what the flu is going to do in the immediate future. Beyond that, we'll just have to wait and see--it could fizzle to nothingness and off the radar, or it could come back this fall with a vengeance. However, sooner or later, we will see some kind of pandemic illness.
If the swine flu fizzles, it will have still have been a kick in the pants to many--I know it served to point out of the many holes in my preps. Some areas that I need improvement on:
-Hand sanitizer. Always good to have on hand, and can be purchased cheaply in bulk sizes. Except when everyone is freaking out about swine flu and buys it all up. Good thing to stock up on. Survival situations are messy, germy, things, and even a minor illness can be deadly.
-Medicine. I stocked up on cold/flu medicine a year or two back, and checked the expiration dates a few weeks ago. All well expired. Rotate those.
-N95 masks. We have probably a half dozen, but it would not hurt to buy a few cheap bulk packs, when they are easy to get a hold of again.
-Gas Masks. Probably overkill for the flu, but would be nice to have in case of a seruiys outbreak. Should bite the bullet and get some nice gas masks and stock up on military-grade M95 filters.
What have you learned from swine flu? Post in the comments section below.
