| Why? During a bird pandemic you should remain as isolated from everybody outside your family as possible. Therefore, you should shop only for necessities: food, water, fuel and medicine. Where? Therefore, you should go only to a supermarket, drug store, gas station, convenience store or discount store. A bird flu pandemic is not the time to buy furniture, clothes, electronic toys or tools. It's not a good time to hang out at the mall. When? Go during the slowest periods possible, so you will be exposed to as few people as possible. Check out your area to learn what stores stay open 24 hours a day. Which ones are open until late at night? Or start early in the morning? Go at the time you'll most likely be the only one in the store except for a few employees. How? Gasoline may be in limited supply or totally out of stock. So you should not drive far. Of course, you must make trade offs. If there's a Wal-Mart open all night but it's 3 miles away, that's worth driving to at 4 AM so you'll be alone except for the cashiers and the floor cleaners. However, driving to a store twenty miles away would use up too much gasoline. Also, if you're going to walk to the store to save gasoline, do so only during the day. Yes, you may be exposed to more people, but they're less likely to rob you or worse. During a bird flu pandemic you cannot depend on law and order, so don't go out after dark unless you are in your car. What? Bottled water Canned vegetables Canned fruit Sauerkraut -- good for encouraging growth of favorable bacteria in you, to discourage growth of H5N1. If you're in Asia, substitute Kim Chi. Hand operated can openers Garlic Onions Pre-cooked meats Raw meat only for as long as you have electricity and/or gas to cook it with. Fresh vegetables Fresh fruit Horseradish Ginger root Dried meat Cheese -- low-fat preferred Eggs Fresh milk Canned and dry milk Canned fish Canned meat Quality vitamins and supplements, especially Vitamin C, selenium, zinc, Omega-3, lysine, beta glucan, Vitamin E, beta-carotene, Vitamin Bs, super green foods containing chlorophyl, ginseng, reservatrol, magnesium, DHEA, quercetin, bioflavanoids Yogurt Soap Alcohol wipes Antiseptic hand lotions Propane Kerosene First aid supplies, including tea tree oil and NuSkin Cold packs Vaporizers Toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoos -- all personal care items Toilet paper and diapers Household soaps and detergents Magazines and paperback books to read Leave behind: Gimmicks herbs that don't increase your immune system functioning Sugar and all sweet snacks and candy Bread Rice Spaghetti and all noodles and pastas Cigarettes Alcohol Fruit juices Soft drinks Reduce your risk of catching bird flu and strengthen your immune system to survive in case you do catch it. Anything that increases your risk of catching bird flu is bad, as is anything that weakens your immune system. A bird flu pandemic is not the time to be undisciplined and self-indulgent. The pandemic is out of your personal control -- but you increases your odds of surviving by the actions you take. |
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