Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
Advice for travelers |
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joss
Valued Member Joined: December 31 2005 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 6 |
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Posted: December 31 2005 at 10:41am |
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Hi all. This is my first post in this forum. I have been reading most of the entries over the past couple of weeks and find the discussions very interesting. Just wondering about someting (assuming that this was not answered before). If a bird flu pandemic hits while you are travelling out of town and if the provincial/state or international borders are closed due to a quarantine, what would you do? Where would you stay? Where and what would you eat? |
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Welcome Joss! Glad to hear you have been reading up! Hopefully you will stay hyper vigilant during any travels and thus have about 48 hours to get home! Will you have internet access during your travels? Will you have a cell phone? Are you traveling for business or pleasure? If caught outside of your country of residence maybe your embassy/consulate could be of help. Some countries are preparing to help their ex-patriots and some aren't. Perhaps you could contact them and find out. Do you have antivirals? Will you be alone? Unfortunately you didn't provide much information to enable a response of any worth.
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joss
Valued Member Joined: December 31 2005 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 6 |
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Thanks SophiaZoe. I live in Canada and travel for business within Canada or to the US from time to time. I don't have any antivirals. I generally have internet access and a cell phone with me. I am hoping to go back home within 48 hours if that happens, but wondering what could happen if I cannot make it back home and get stuck somewhere out of town.
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Well Joss, If you find yourself in a situation where you will be out of contact with the internet for more than 12 hours contact someone at home you can trust to watch this (someone who would know what to look for) or contact on of the regulars here to call you on your cell if we see the red flag go up. Myself & Albert come immediately to mind as someone who watch carefully & would be willing to drop a dime for you, I'm sure there are others. And come to think of it, maybe you should have two people watching for you just in case one is distracted for unforeseen reasons. Beyond being able to get back home I really don't have an answer for you except contacting your embassy/consulate. This is also one of the main reasons for the map you see at the bottom of all the pages here. The Flubies on it may be in a position to help another Flubie if an emergency such as yours comes up. Maybe you should check it to see if any of us are close to your destination and PM that person for contact information and would they be willing to assist? BTW: With a name like Joss I think you will be well protected, unless that's short for Joshua...I was thinking the Japanese meaning.
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Angel
Valued Member Joined: December 08 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 346 |
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Joss...reading
your posting took me back to Sept. 11, 2001. Our son was on a
business trip in Chicago (we live in SW PA), once he saw the plane hit
the second tower he knew he had to get out of the city. He
and his boss ran out of the hotel and tried for hours to find a cab,
bus, train but none could be found even at that earliest time of the
attack. He said some cabs were paid to drive people as far as
Canada. He and his boss walked out of the city and found a hotel
and then later boarded a train home. Other people he worked with
was stranded too. But one guy went to a U-Haul station and all he
could rent was a large U-Haul van but it got him back to PA.
I think if everyone starts to panic like that day it will be very hard to get back home if you are away. Also, that day our son tried to telephone us but the lines were tied up. He did find someone with a lap top and e-mailed us that he was okay. If I were you and was traveling out of town I would have many backup plans. Like Albert said the next two months I feel, also, are going to crucial to watch out for the pandemic to begin. I would drive instead of taking a plane if possible because right now I wouldn't want to breath in the air of all those people packed into one small area. Good luck and wecome to the forum. |
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Angel
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Corn
Valued Member Joined: December 13 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1219 |
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I had to make a choice and left Christmas eve for Louisiana to do some Katrina work till the end of January. I hated to leave my preps. I did bring some suits, gloves mask etc. Please don't let this hit till I get back to good ole Tennessee. I'm surrounded by family here too out in the country. They are preped and politically connected yet they are unaware of BF. They would not understand if I just pulled out if we went to level 4. I've mentioned BF to them and they say God protects them. I apreciate that but I'm a heathern and prefer to protect myself. I need 5 weeks here before I can respectfully leave. |
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I can understand how BF has slipped past their radar, with all the Katrina & Rita mess down there no wonder they don't worry about something in the future that may or may not effect them. How's it going down there? It took us about 6 months to get our legs back under us after our fling with good ole Mother Nature. I was scarred for life and things were just different after the fact. Something that people who haven't gone through it would not be able to understand. It's wonderful that you are pitching in Corn, in that type of situation there is no such thing as having enough or too much help. |
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libbyalex
Adviser Group Joined: December 20 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 795 |
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SophiaZoe et al -- I like the idea of Joss being able to have a warning system by cell. I wonder if there's a way of us all being logged into a warning system somehow. Sometimes I don't have time to check the forum or other bird flu sites, but do check email. Is there a way to have us on an email alert list? For instance, we could start a thread entitled "alert me" and then click at the bottom of it to "watch this topic for replies." Then a warning would end up in our email boxes. What do you all think? -- Libby |
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Libby, I think an alert system is a marvelous idea and would be willing to participate in any way I can but I am not following what it is you are suggesting with the thread.. and I haven't even had anything to drink! An in-place system could be for all those interested in being alerted via e-mail is to make sure your e-mail is filled in in your respective profiles...it remains invisible to all users but a group e-mail could be sent out via that information. FYI: the "sender's" e-mail does show up on the received e-mail but the sender never sees the e-mail that the message is sent to. The thread thingy (if I understood it) might be worth having in place also. I know I was unexpectedly without internet for a long weekend and I almost went nuts if we could also work out the cell phone deal (especially for our travelers) comfort levels may increased. Albert had something going about text-messaging but quite honestly I don't know how to do that either (guess I'm just getting too old) he said everyone has it who has a cell phone but I can't figure it out! Let's put our heads together! |
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joss
Valued Member Joined: December 31 2005 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 6 |
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Thanks all for the replies. I'll keep watching the WHO alert level daily (in fact multiple times during the day). As a backup, my wife will keep watching it too. My plan is to hit the road back home as soon as the alert level is raised to level 4. But probably, everybody who is aware of BF will be doing the same and there is chance of a panic. And a high possibility of getting stuck away from home.
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Angel
Valued Member Joined: December 08 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 346 |
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I
think that WHO is very behind with their figures....takes too much time
for them to get results back. I am worried once WHO punches the
number 4 it will be too late. I am sure the news is watching
too...once they see "level 4" they will report it and cause mass
panic.
I am hoping with everyone this site and their "great" insights and reading between the lines YOU all will pretty well know when this thing is about to go down. I am putting all my bets on you to call the time. |
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Angel
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libbyalex
Adviser Group Joined: December 20 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 795 |
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I'll add my email to my profile so a system-wide email can go out and will also start a thread that should alert us via email.... Libby
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Corn
Valued Member Joined: December 13 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1219 |
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If you are waiting on the WHO good luck. That's how they got the name. When they ask for flu samples from China, the Chinese leadership just say "WHO?" They are as much a political body as medical and when you mix politics with ther reality of huge economic losses the WHO will drag thier feet. They are controled by thier donors. the wealthy industrialized nations who you know will try to make $$ from BF till the very last minute, You would probably do better determining the first signs of a pandemic by watching the stock market. The really big players will have first hand knowledge and start selling. Watch airline stocks, hotel, travel industry related shares. If they start moving down watch out. You know these same guys have already bought up tons of pharmacutical stocks hedging on vaccines, rubber gloves and probably caskets. The WHO is the equivilent of a fireman with out a truck. |
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