H1N1 influenza possible pandemic alert!

[Lady Lilya]

Ms. Vivienne Allan of the WHO said that the correct number of deaths from Swine Flu worldwide is only 7, and all in Mexico.  She said the higher numbers didn't come from the WHO.

[darwinslair]

those numbers are kind of odd.

The "official" numbers are only for cases where there have been samples taken from the people who died and were tested in a lab in Canada or the US.  That is at least part of the reason for the vast discrepancy in the numbers of victims.  Doctors in Mexico are reporting far greater numbers which causes one to wonder just what these people are suddenly dying from if not The Flu.

Tom

[Lady Lilya]

Well, not necessarily the Swine flu.  There are normally a lot of deaths from the flu in general.

Anyway, what people are dying from, and what they died from in 1918, is not the flu itself but their own immune system's reactions.  That is why vitamin D is so important.  It plays an important role in the body's ability to regulate the immune reaction and reduce it as appropriate. 

[The Future]

http://bermudasun.org/main.asp?SectionID=24&SubSectionID=270&ArticleID=41304

Our chief of staff has painted their anticipated worse case scenario as far as the infection rate.  Folks are again being urged to stock up on non-perishables and water - as we would if a hurricane was approaching. 

Interestingly, we are well behind (no pun intended) the normal rainfall year to date, by some 25%.  Why is that a big deal?  Well we are one of the few locations on earth that rely on rainwater from roof top to under-house tanks.  Drinking, washing, flushing everything.  Only 14 inches has fallen this year - normally 18.5 so far - and that means folks will need to be ordering water.  Reverse Osmosis combined with well water to meet (low) EPA drinking standards.  And summer is just starting (when rain would be lower anyway).  It could make for an interesting scenario if a a lock down comes into effect and folks are thirsty.

Oh, did I mention we only have a week or two worth of food in the country?  Chief Medical Officer also had the forsight to see potential lack of food delivery if workers in the US take sick in great numbers.  But are important so they will find a way to get us food.  Right?   

[Wellspring]

Future:

Here's one possible solution to a drinking water crisis and it's pure:   an atmospheric water generator *(it's unlimited, pure, renewable and comes from the air we breathe).

A client of mine started the business:  ecoloblue.com 
They've got a 28 liter a day as well as industrial sizes of 200, 500, 1000, 3000, and 5000 liter units.
The 28 liter has five different filters in it.

They are working on a solar/wind solution; the weak element right now, as you might know, is the battery technology.

We've got a 28 liter unit at home and it's pretty amazing. 

If you or anyone on this board order one, tell them Wayne's massage therapist sent you and I'll get credit.

BTW, it's not too difficult to become a distributor for your island.  The growth of the larger units in higher humidity, island locations is looks very promising.

Cheers~

[opsec]

What kind of prices are we looking at for these units?

[Wellspring]

Here's the product page for the 28 liters/day (or 7.5 gallons):  http://www.ecoloblue.com/en/store/ecoloblue28

$1350.00   I can get you a promotional code that will give you a discount when you order online.  Let me connect with them and find out what the discount will be.  Wayne (the founder) was telling me today that he was at the Grand Caymans (for a Legend's Tennis Tournament) last week spending some time with a friend there who has three machines.  With 68% humidity, he watched one machine make about 14 liters in six hours.  Once the humidity is over 60%, the machine doesn't convert air vapor to water much faster than say 80% humidity.   

I've got an email to him now to find out about a discount.

[The Future]

Whoa.  That is steep.  Yes I understand the cost/benefit analysis and the comparative data but laying out $1350 plus shipping, import duty...for stuff that falls from the sky?  To be fair, under duress we would (finally) drastically reduce our water consumption to essentials.  We would reuse water (dishes, bucket bath etc. to water garden)  While the renewable driven model would be a great convienience, it still does require filter changes (non-renewable).  I'll stick with my bucket and rope (if electricity grid ever goes down) for now.  Oh, and a co-worker was selling models like these some years ago.  In his excitement he planned not just national but international sales.  Never happened for reasons unknown to me. 

Right now we are 4.5 inches behind for the year on rain (normal would be 18 inches)  For a 1000 sq foot house, that would mean 11,200 gallons in the tank since January 1 normally.  This year that same house would have collected "just" 8400 gallons of water.  So even starting with an empty tank, that house could sustainably consume 69 gallons per day.  Problem is, we probably waste much more than that.  Waiting for hot water to come through the shower probably throws out 5 gallons of perfectly good drinking water a day to begin with....

But don't get me wrong.  I appreciate the input.

[mantis308]

I was out today and casually looking for masks and couldn't find any!  So I went to a paint store, Porter Paints, they had loads! Home Depot might have them.  Folks don't think to look for masks at hardware stores.
 
If this is really the real deal, I am glad I prepared.  The only thing I didn't have were the masks.  Garden is in, water stored, food, medicine, movies, gas, chocolate, coffee, batteries, the list is almost endless.

We do live in interesting times.

BTW, I downloaded the zip files on drum-runners, get it while you can!

Just an FYI - the masks you get from hardware stores are not surgical quality and don't provide an adequate seal. I just bout a case (300 mask) from a local medical supply store for $30. Look in the phone book and call around. This stuff is out there. And it's not real expensive.

[Sniper]

I was out today and casually looking for masks and couldn't find any!  So I went to a paint store, Porter Paints, they had loads! Home Depot might have them.  Folks don't think to look for masks at hardware stores.
 
If this is really the real deal, I am glad I prepared.  The only thing I didn't have were the masks.  Garden is in, water stored, food, medicine, movies, gas, chocolate, coffee, batteries, the list is almost endless.

We do live in interesting times.

BTW, I downloaded the zip files on drum-runners, get it while you can!

Just an FYI - the masks you get from hardware stores are not surgical quality and don't provide an adequate seal. I just bout a case (300 mask) from a local medical supply store for $30. Look in the phone book and call around. This stuff is out there. And it's not real expensive.

These were N95 masks, the ones CDC recommended.  Are those the ones you bought?

[mantis308]

http://www.naturalnews.com/026160.html

N95 masks, you see, have but one purpose: To prevent the wearer from infecting others. To use blunt medical terminology, they work by preventing snot, spit or other virus-carrying particles from becoming airborne. Thus, if the wearer sneezes, coughs, drools, spits or talks excitedly, his or her infected fluids will be trapped in the mask and will not infect others.

N95 masks have virtually no ability to protect the wearer from other people's airborne germs.

Sounds reasonable to me.

[Gratefully]

N95 masks, you see, have but one purpose: To prevent the wearer from infecting others. To use blunt medical terminology, they work by preventing snot, spit or other virus-carrying particles from becoming airborne. Thus, if the wearer sneezes, coughs, drools, spits or talks excitedly, his or her infected fluids will be trapped in the mask and will not infect others.

N95 masks have virtually no ability to protect the wearer from other people's airborne germs.


  This is only partially true. The N-95 masks we use in the hospital are designed to fit tightly around the mouth and nose. If fitted properly there is no air leakage around the mask during inspiration, all of the air inhaled passes through the mask. During exhalation the mask can be blown out from the skin but this doesn’t matter because the positive pressure keeps germs out during this time anyway.  When we were trained to use them there was a testing hood we wore to determine whether we were using the correct size and were wearing it properly- if we could smell the odor in the hood there was air leakage. Used in this way they do protect from airborne pathogens carried in dust and aerosol particles. If the mask does not fit properly it is no more effective than regular surgical mask which were designed to protect the surgical field from contamination- in other words to prevent the wearer from “spraying”. The person who is sick is as well served by using a regular mask, the healthy person in the area is who needs the N-95, and it needs to be the proper size and properly fitted.
                                           Grateful that for most of us this is “know” and not “need to know”

[mantis308]

Can you describe how to properly fit them?

[Gratefully]

   The ones we use fold flat and have two elastic bands. In use they look like a duck beak- hence the nick-name “duck mask”. You place the mask over your face with the bands away from you and hold it in a position that seals all the way around. Form the metal nose bridge tightly to the contour of your nose and cheekbones. Pull the bands up and over your head and place them so that they run across the back of your head, one above the ears and the other below them. If they attach at two separate levels cross them so that the lower runs up and crosses the other on its way down. This keeps the fit tighter as you move your face muscles. I don’t know what you could use to test the seal at home. When you inhale the side of the mask should suck inward. Generally a good seal will block any fine powder in the air as well any aerosol mist, but not volatile compounds. Maybe something like a scented talcum or cornstarch powder would work. Next time you change a diaper make a cornstarch cloud and wear your mask; if you smell the powder try again- I’m sure the baby will cooperate.
                 Grateful for the blessing that is babies.

[Harold in Kentucky]

Hi Everyone,

Have been visiting this blog for quite a while now and like the discussion and exchange of ideas. Given the subject and the level of concern, this article may prove helpful/put this in perspective.

 http://www.321gold.com/editorials/engdahl/engdahl050109.html