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| Prevention |
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Pandemics have plagued our society for millions of years. The first pandemic
occurred in the early 500's, where diseases like Typhoid Fever struck and killed millions of people worldwide. Unfortunately at the time no one could pinpoint it's origin. However, in 2005 researchers finally found that it was due to bacteria. Since then, thousands of pandemics have
erupted including HIV and SARS.
The newest fear of a pandemic is bird flu (also known as
avian flu). Although it is yet to be considered an actual pandemic, it is possible that it will mutate. As of right now, it has affected both birds and humans, but there is no proof that human's have passed it to one another.
If you are one of the many worriers out there, here is a checklist of different things you can do to prevent the
bird flu.
1. Wash your hands! It is necessary to keep your hands clean after
cooking chicken. Bird flu or not, you should be washing your hands!
2. Clean surfaces and any area that the chicken touched.
3. Make sure that the chicken is not undercooked.
4. Do not place farm animals together - e.g.
put chickens, ducks and
pigs in different cages or pens.
5. Do not go near wild birds!
6. Get regular flu shots and yearly checkups.
7. Stock your pantry with food and water. After all, we love to be
paranoid! Even if there is no pandemic, stocking up on extras is
necessary.
8. Do not sell live chickens in the market while there is a threat of bird flu.
9. Report to authorities about sudden birth deaths.
10. Replace round doorknobs with “lever” ones, which don’t need to
be grasped.
11. Eat kimchi -- people have used this concoction with sick birds, and
they started to recover a week later!
12. Start to take immune-boosting supplements (i.e.: Zinc, Vitamin C,
Echinacea)
13. Boost your immune system: Get plenty of sleep, drink a lot of water,
eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.
14. Take OMEGA 3 supplements.
15. Avoid visiting live animal markets and poultry farms
16. Avoid contact with surfaces contaminated with animal droppings
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