Survive-Bird-Flu.com Bird Flu Prevention | Handwashing Tips Best infection control Thorough handwashing is the most important strategy in
the prevention of infection with the bird flu virus. You
will need soft soap in a dispenser (bars of soap can spread
infection), warm running water, and plenty of disposable
paper towels. When should I wash my hands? Immediately upon arriving home after shopping, visiting
neighbours, work, school, the post office, the doctor's
office and so on. After touching contaminated surfaces, such as door
handles, steering wheels, equipment used by several people,
pets, books, the mail, the ATM machine, coins, and after
contact with persons possibly infected with the Bird Flu
virus. Before preparing food, before eating or feeding others,
before and after going to the toilet, before and after
cleaning the house and changing bed linen. Be sure to wash your hands well after any contact with
body fluids or excretions, and whenever yours hands feel
dirty or are visibly soiled. What is a good handwashing routine? Remove all jewellery from your hands and wrists. It's
best not to wear rings or bracelets when caring for people
infected with the bird flu virus, or when you are sick
yourself, as these items are difficult to clean
thoroughly. Use a disposable towel to turn water on and off. Wet your
hands thoroughly under warm running water. Dispense 3-5 ml (1/2 teaspoon) of unscented mild liquid
soap into the palm of your hand. Rub palms, back of hands,
between each finger and around wrists and thumb in a
vigorous and systematic manner. Use a nail brush to clean
under fingernails. Rinse thoroughly under warm running water. Pat hands dry
on disposable towels. Handcare Keep fingernails short and clean. Use a nail brush often,
to clean under your fingernails. Don't wear nail polish, as
peeling polish could harbor the bird flu virus. Cover cuts and abrasions with a waterproof dressing and
change when necessary. Use a pH neutral soap, to protect your skin from drying
out. Use an unscented moisturiser to maintain and protect
your skin. Bird Flu Infection Control Caring for a Bird Flu Patient When caring for someone infected with the bird flu virus,
try to follow these infection control practices, which will
help protect you from bird flu infection. Always wear a well-fitting respirator (mask) and an apron
or gown, and disposable gloves. This will protect your
clothing and body from contamination with body fluids that
may contain the virus, and any virus that is airborne due to
coughing and sneezing. Wash your hands well before putting on your protective
clothing. Click here for a reliable handwashing routine. Have the sick person wear a bird flu mask or respirator
while you are in the room, to reduce the chance of spreading
the bird flu virus. Keep the dishes that the sick person uses separate, and
wash them in a special plastic basin, with hot water and
detergent. Keep all items that the person uses in the room
until the person recovers. Keep the sickroom clean, wiping surfaces with warm water
and detergent, followed by a wash with a disinfectant
solution that will deactivate the bird flu virus. Clothing, bed linen, and towels contaminated with body
substances that contain the bird flu virus should be
removed, put into a container especially for contaminated
laundry, and washed as soon as possible. Click here for
information on management of bird flu contaminated
laundry. Remove your protective clothing outside the door of the
sickroom, as soon as contact with the sick person is at an
end. Remove your gloves carefully, pulling them down from
the wrist, so that they are turned inside out and discard
them immediately. Wash your hands thoroughly afterward. Place your disposable mask and gloves in a special
container for contaminated waste, and be sure to empty the
container in an area away from animals and humans, to
prevent further spread of bird flu infection. Bird Flu Prevention | Managing Contaminated Laundry When handling laundry contaminated with the bird flu
virus, you can prevent infection by wearing a bird flu mask,
disposable gloves and an apron. Contaminated laundry should be put into a special
container, to keep it separate from the rest of the family
laundry. Take the container to the sickroom, before you
remove the sheets and pillowcases from the bed. Don't carry
contaminated laundry from one part of the house to
another. As you remove each sheet, hold it away from your body and
place it directly into the container. Do not place soiled
laundry on the floor, including towels and clothes. Handle contaminated laundry as little as possible. Don't
sort soiled linen in an uncontaminated area and don't throw
soiled linen down a laundry chute. Set the water temperature on your washing machine to
reach 80ºC and use a good detergent. Don't overfill the
washing machine with laundry and be sure to wash
contaminated laundry separate from other laundry. Remove
your protective apron and add to it to the washing. Discard your disposable mask first, then gloves, then
wash your hands well. Hang the laundry in sunlight for as long as possible.
Handle clean laundry with clean hands. Note: Risk of bird flu infection will be reduced if
sheets, pillowcases, towels, face cloths, masks, gloves, and
similar items are not shared between family member Bird Flu Prevention | Bird Flu Infection Control Cleaning Contaminated Areas To prevent infection with the bird flu virus, when
cleaning up spills of body fluids, wear an apron, disposable
shoe covers, a bird flu mask or respirator, and disposable
gloves. Wash your hands thoroughly before putting on your
protective clothing (refer to bird flu prevention,
handwashing). Wipe up spill with disposable towels and dispose of
contaminated waste in a plastic bag. Tie the top of the bag
and place the big in a container especially for contaminated
materials. Mop the area thoroughly with detergent and warm water,
then wash the area well with with a disinfectant solution of
1% sodium hypochlorite (bleach), diluted 1:5 in clean water;
or with 70% alcohol. Both of these solutions will inactivate
the virus. Make sure the area is well-ventilated. Discard the contents of the bucket into the toilet and
disinfect the bucket with the above solution of bleach and
water. Dry the area thoroughly with disposable towels, or a
clean rag, and discard in the container for contaminated
waste. Use a separate mop for cleaning the sickroom and
other contaminated areas and keep it and the bucket in the
sickroom. For carpeted areas, clean with carpet shampoo and
disinfectant. Remove and replace carpet if necessary.
Dispose of carpet away from exposure to children and
animals. Remove apron after cleaning and place in container
reserved for contaminated laundry (refer to bird flu
prevention, laundry). Remove gloves and wash in warm water and detergent (if
using utility gloves). Remove mask and discard. Wash hands
well after removing protective clothing . Bird Flu Survival Kit Your basic bird flu survival kit should contain these
items: Protective Equipment Respirators and masks: These should be FFP3 standard, to
give the highest level of protection against bird flu
viruses in the air. A good respirator gives 99% particle
filtration efficiency and can be either reusable or
disposable. Masks and disposable gloves are probably the
most important protective items in your bird flu survival
kit. Shoe covers, goggles and disposable aprons (or gowns) are
also important, since wearing them reduces the risk of
contamination from the bird flu virus, especially if you are
caring for a sick person, cleaning the sickroom area, and
washing contaminated laundry. Click here for protective
clothing. Bird Flu Treatments Obtain antiviral drugs, if they are available, and some
natural flu remedies, which may ease the symptoms of bird
flu. If you can afford it, buy a ventilator and ask your
doctor about appropriate inhalants, for relief from
breathing complications caused by the bird flu virus.
Purchase plenty of disposable tissues for coughing and
sneezing episodes, if masks aren't available. Arrange for your annual influenza and pneumonia
vaccinations, and be sure to buy plenty of your usual
prescription medicines. Cleaning Equipment Buy plenty of disposable paper towels, liquid soap and
appropriate dispensers, for handwashing at home. (Bars of
soap often spread infections.) And purchase a good
alchohol-based handwash, for disinfecting your hands when
you are not able to use soap and water. Disposable paper towels, utility gloves, and detergent
and bleach will be necessary for cleaning up spills of body
fluids contaminated with the bird flu virus. Use special
containers for storing contaminated laundry and waste. Other You will also need to stockpile food, water, a radio and
batteries, and ways of providing heat during winter and
light at night. Click on this link to find out more about
bird flu preparation. Individual Preparation for a Bird Flu Pandemic Stockpile enough food and water for at least two weeks.
Try to buy items that you use regularly and just keep
topping your supply up. Stockpile items that do not require
refrigeration or electricity for preparation, and will keep
for a reasonably long time, such as canned and dried
foods. ATMs probably won't function and banks may be closed, so
keep a quantity of cash on hand. It might be a good idea to
keep a small quantity handy and hide the rest. Make sure that you have plenty of fuel to keep you warm
in winter. As with any emergency, have batteries and a
battery-powered radio on hand, and some way of providing
light at night. A small solar-powered lighting system would
be ideal. Prepare to take care of sick people at home. Acquire a
stockpile of medicines that are used regularly. Assemble a
bird flu survival kit and some natural flu remedies, in case
antiviral drugs and vaccines aren't immediately available.
Be sure that you know good bird flu infection control
procedures. The above is only a very basic list of bird flu
preparations, but you can find out more about boosting your
immune system, vaccines and antiviral agents, and how to
prepare for a bird flu pandemic, from the books found at the
link below. Bird Flu Books Are governments doing enough bird flu preparation? Governments can only do a certain amount of preparation
for a pandemic. In fact, in the United States, the Federal
Government has told the states that if a bird flu pandemic
occurs, they pretty much have to handle it themselves. As a result, state and local governments, as well as
businesses and schools, are currently doing their own bird
flu preparation. Employers have been advised to employ a few
staff as possible. Sporting events will be cancelled and
schools will be shut down. In the event that many people fall ill, services such as
electricity, water, garbage removal, and deliveries to
supermarkets and stores will be disrupted. Hospitals and
clinics will be overcrowded, with few staff to deal with the
crisis. So it is important for each of us to do our own bird flu
preparation, since we won't be able to rely on outside
help. Bird Flu Natural Remedy Natural Remedies Can Ease Bird Flu Symptoms Although antiviral drugs are being used to ease bird flu
symptoms and shorten the duration of a bout of bird flu,
natural remedies for bird flumay be just as effective. There are many problems with man-made antiviral drugs,
such as shelf life, effectiveness of the drug once the virus
mutates, and the high probability that the virus will
develop a resistance to any drug that is widely used. That
is why many people are looking into natural remedies for
bird flu. These remedies have been found to generally ease
flu symptoms and speed recovery and are not specific for one
particular virus. Popular Natural Flu Remedies Vitamin C boosts the immune system and acts as an
antiviral agent, since it blocks the enzyme neuraminadase,
which the bird flu viruses need to reproduce. Green tea (3-6 cups daily) is known to be a very
effective antiviral agent. Green tea works much the same as
Vitamin C, as it inhibits the production of neuraminadase.
Also, drinking hot liquids will relieve nasal congestion and
soothe your throat. Try a hot toddy: herbal tea, 1 ounce of
whiskey, bourbon or rum, and 1 teaspoon of honey. Fresh fruit and vegetables: Eat brightly colored fruits
and vegetables (such as carrots, apples, oranges,
blueberries, chili peppers, cranberries and bell peppers)
and raw or lightly cooked garlic, horseradish and onion.
These are packed with nutrients that can lower your
susceptibility to the bird flu virus, especially if they are
eaten raw. Pure water: Try to drink 8 glasses of pure water a day
and keep your mucous membranes well-hydrated. Try mixing 1/4
teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in 8 ounces of
warm water. Carefully squirt or sniff water into the nose.
Hold one nostril closed by applying light finger pressure
while squirting the salt mixture into the other nostril. Let
the water drain out, repeat 2-3 times, then treat the other
nostril. Make sure you blow your nose correctly: very
gently, one nostril at a time. Gargle: Gargling can bring temporary relief to a sore
throat. Try a teaspoon of salt dissolved in warm water, four
times daily. To reduce the tickle in your throat, try hot
tea, which contains tannin, to tighten the membranes. Or try
a honey gargle: Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to two cups
of hot water, then stir in 1 teaspoon of honey. Let the
mixture cool before gargling. Steam inhalation: Add 2 drops of tea tree oil or
eucalyptus oil to a bowl of steaming water. Cover your head
with a towel and inhale the vapor for 5-10 minutes. This
will relieve the congestion and fight infection. Ways to Stay Healthy Stay warm and get plenty of sleep - everyone needs 8
hours of sleep a night to be able to fight off infections.
If you are tired, your immune system won't be able to fight
off the flu. Get plenty of exercise - exercise keeps your immune
system in top shape and helps even after you've been exposed
to the flu virus. Don't smoke, and avoid smoke-filled rooms. Smoke impairs
the function of your immune system, dries out your nasal
passages and paralyses the small hairs in your nose and
lungs that keep out viruses. Natural remedies will be well worth trying during a bird
flu pandemic, along with antiviral drugs - and especially if
antiviral drugs and vaccines are not available.
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