AvianBirdsFlu.com: key facts about Avian Influenza commonly called Bird Flu that created world health crises rivaled only by Plague and HIV.
Home Page News Virus Pandemic Vaccine Sympotms Links H5N1 Strain Forum	Vaccine is Good, but Mask is Better However, there is no point in taking things easy. Sooner or later, the Bird Flu virus will appear in the public health arena. And then we will have to answer the question “How do we protect the mankind?” According to Lee Jong-wook, Director General of the World Health Organization, each country should prepare a nationwide plan of action for struggle against the potential flu pandemic. Russia is very unlikely to wind up in the forefront of this struggle to protect the mankind. The matter is in vaccine, which is to become the main means of protection from the pandemic virus. And it’s not a simple matter. There isn’t and there can’t be a specific vaccine against a specific flu virus strain before the latter even appears, because nobody knows exactly what kind of virus will come to kill off people in the current season, and nobody is aware what kind of mutant will come into the world. It is only after it appears and affects its first human victims that the scientists will ascertain its structure, develop a vaccine, and then start a commercial production to make the vaccine available for everyone. The whole process will take several months. By that time the epidemic is usually over. Incidentally, this is the exact reason why we will probably never be able to overcome flu completely and ultimately (like, for example, smallpox). Unfortunately, Russia has rather mediocre technical capabilities for vaccine production. The entire cycle will take us 10 months. If a pandemic happens, it will be an inexcusably long term. It is hard to say exactly how many people will die during this period, but not that hard to imagine. That is why WHO entrusted Great Britain and the USA, the world leaders in medical science and technology, with a task to get ready for protecting the whole world. These countries are capable of developing and producing the vaccine in 3 months in case of an emergency. But we have to survive somehow during these three months. This very period will become the most dramatic in the course of the pandemic because the whole nation will have to show great courage – and put on protective masks. Only these masks can slow down the spreading of the virus and save human lives. But nobody knows how to persuade people, especially stubborn Russians with their couldn’t-care-less attitude, to wear flu masks in the streets. A flu mask is a reliable remedy. And anyone can make one at home. But to make it protective, fold 4-8 layers of cotton gauze. Furthermore, masks must be washed and ironed every day (or better yet—twice a day). So you need about 2-3 masks every day. The fact is that a flu epidemic can cost us fewer victims. However, to make it possible, everyone must get serious about their health. If you have a fever, don’t go to work, take a sick leave. If your child has a running nose, don’t let him/her go to kindergarten or school. Keep your child at home for 2-3 days. To sum up, each of us must worry about their own health first, and, as a result, we will all be healthy. Another way to protect yourself from flu is to take antiviral drugs as a precaution, though the dosage will be different – prophylactic rather than remedial. The effect from the antivirals will be almost the same as from vaccination, which means that you either won’t get sick at all at all, or the course of the disease will be lighter. Drugs also have additional advantages: they kill not just the flu virus, but also other catarrhal viruses, so you have a chance not to catch a cold this season at all. Those who prefer phytotherapy can take herbal remedies. These are also perfects remedies for preventing a common cold. And don’t forget about onions, garlic and lemons. Folk remedies are always a good option, as well. By the way, in the recent times, healthcare professionals don’t object to traditional methods of treatment. From my own experience, I strongly recommend honey as a great method of protection against a common cold. Eat one teaspoon or tablespoon of honey on an empty stomach in the morning and wash it down with warm water. Or you can prepare the following mixture: mix lemon, ground in a blender to a pulp, with an equal quantity of honey. Keep it in the fridge and take one spoonful at a time, in the same way as honey. This mixture helps me even if the virus has already entered the body and the nasal cold or aches have just begun. I take this mixture several times a day and on the next day I wake up practically healthy. And wish you the same.