Quarantine Topics

[AZ Prepper]

Quarantine, Quarantine, Quarantine
by Kenneth Moravec


I have been ask repeatedly on how to quarantine properly and so this is being written to take care of that question.

I guess the first thing we need to consider is why we are quarantining. Remember quarantine is due to a biological event and not a chemical or nuclear. For these last two you should be sheltering in place.

A proper quarantine will protect you from what ever it is you are trying to protect against henceforth there will be different stages of quarantine.

1. The first and most basic stage is to go home lock the doors and stay there. DO NOT try to seal up your home with duct tape and plastic as you will not have enough oxygen to breath within a very short time. This method is used for chemical events where you need to be indoors for a very short period of time. Most quarantines will last days if not weeks and months. At this stage you can actually go out in to your front yard or back yard and breathe the air just fine just as long as you do not breathe someone else’s air that might be infected with an airborne communicable disease or virus. This could include certain animals and insects all depending on what the biological is. All infected people should remain a good distance (minimum 20 feet) away from you and anyone else sheltering with you. Anyone (again including certain animals) that has been in a possibly infected area should be kept separate (quarantined separate) from you until they have sought proper medical attention (if it is available) and been cleared or they have run the course of waiting the required length of time to be sure that symptoms will or will not show up. Remember in most biologicals symptoms do not show up for several days. For mothers and other care givers wishing to attend infected persons, especially children, during this time a full biological protection mask, gown, and gloves should be used and then disposed of properly. This really should be avoided at all costs but trying to tell a mother she cannot care for her children is sometimes near to impossible. Exposure time should be set at a bare minimum.

The proper shielding garments to be worn would be a disposable non-breathable (Tyvek) suit (available at most paints stores), a tight fitting (with two straps) N-95 or N-100 dust mask, and latex or rubber gloves. All of this needs to be disposable. A better face mask with biological filters is suggested.

It is important to remain quarantined for the suggest length of time that the certain biological requires. This will vary from biological to biological. This means no going to the store or to work or church or school or . . . STAY HOME.



2. The second stage is for more serious conditions where being around certain biologicals, even on the other side of a locked door, posses a more serious problem. Usually at this stage a gas mask with a biological filter is needed instead of a simple N-95 dust mask. Be wary of official warnings as when to move to this level.



3. The third stage is the most serious and nothing other than a level one suit is required. Again be wary of official warning as when to move to this level although the common citizen should never be involved with such procedures that would require this level.


What more can I say about this other than . . . STAY HOME.

If you prepare now you can do this. It really is not that hard.

[AZ Prepper]

QUARANTINING for Epidemics or Other Biological Problems
by Kenneth Moravec


FACTS ABOUT THE AVIAN FLU

• 1-2 days incubation period. Abrupt onset of fever ( > 101<), chills, myalgia, headache, followed by cough and upper respiratory symptoms. Abdominal symptoms are not the flu.
• 5-6 days of restricted activity, 3 days bedridden
• contagious approx. 6 total days = 1 day before onset and 5 days after onset
• Tamiflu and Relenza help a lot, but are difficult to obtain (prescription only, and the U.S. is out)
• Over 50% of A vian flu cases thus far have been terminal.
• Getting a pneumonia shot every 10 years helps you to not have the flu turn into bacterial pneumonia. Viral pneumonia is not affected by the shot, but it is usually not as serious as bacterial pneumonia.
• There are between 20,000 and 40,000 deaths in the U.S. annually from the flu (not Avian).
• In some ways, the young and healthy are at just as great or greater risk with the Avian flu as the elderly and infants. The magnitude of their immune response worsens the symptoms.
• A pandemic won’t occur until the spread becomes person to person. It’s still bird to person.
• It will probably take 6-8 months after the onset of a pandemic before a vaccine is available.
In-place sheltering for something like a chemical attack is extremely short-term (1-2 hours) and requires an absolutely airtight room. This is not the case when the problem is biological. It is extremely unlikely that we will experience a dangerous cloud of biological contamination blowing our way. More likely is that the problem will be an outbreak of some disease that comes either through contam inated food or water, or via contaminated people.

If this should occur QUARANTINING will be required. This means that you, if you are sure you haven’t been exposed, will stay in your home for the length of the community life of the disease. This could as long as 3+ months -- the authorities will tell you when it’s safe to stop the quarantine. During quarantining, you can use your tap water, heat and electricity, go out to the wood pile and garage, but you must not come in contact with other people (like neighbors) that you can’t be certain have not been exposed.

If you are sure you have been exposed, call a public health official about precautions to take. (Dial 851-7037, 376-7576, or 1-888-EPI-UTAH, a 24-7 number to the Utah Dept. of Health.) If you don’t know whether you’ve been exposed or not, do separate quarantining of yourself from the rest of your family members -- perhaps in the garage or in a specially set-apart room in your house, until you are sure one way or the other. The present threat of an Avian Flu pandemic is an example of an event that could occur requiring us to quarantine for a longer of time. Below is a list of things that would be wise to have ready in your home in case of such a need. Note, the Avian Flu is still bird to person and won’t become a pandemic until it crosses the person-to-person barrier.

The Church has long recommended a year supply be kept on hand; but if that is too much for you to deal with at this time, start with a 3 month supply. If that is too much, do a 1 month supply. The numbers below represent a 3 month supply for 1 adult. Essential items are listed first and items of lesser importance afterwards. Of course, smaller children require less, and you can estimate for them based on these numbers.

Essentials -- 3 month list for 1 adult:

• 100 total lbs. of grains (wheat, oats, rice, popcorn*, m illet, quinoa, barley, rye, pastas...)
• 15 total lbs. of legum es (split peas, pinto beans, kidney beans, lentils, chili beans...)
• 2 #10 cans of powdered m ilk
• 2 qts. cooking oil or shortening
• 15 lbs. sugar or honey
• 1 lb. of salt
• 25 gal. water (= 2 weeks supply) [Public water shouldn’t be contaminated in a flu epidemic, so your tap water should still be safe, but it can only be intelligent to have water storage on hand for all contingencies.]
Secondary but important items:

• 1 lb. yeast
• ½ lb. baking powder
• ½ lb. baking soda
• 10 lbs. pasta
• 1 qt. vinegar
• 2 large jars peanut butter
• 24 cans tuna fish & other canned meats (turkey, sardines, salmon, chicken, beef...)
• 12-24 cans chili
• any other foods or items that you regularly eat and will hope you have on hand if you can’t go to the store for 3 months (canned or dehydrated fruits and vegetables such as peaches, apples, plums, apricots, tomatoes, green beans, onions, corn, alfalfa seeds for sprouting, sprouting barley seeds..., spaghetti sauce, butter, frozen orange juice..., condiments... i.e. a 3-MONTH SUPPLY OF THE FOOD YOU EAT!)
• toilet paper (12-20 rolls)
• feminine hygiene and diapers
• vitamins, medicines, and 3 months of your prescription medications
• laundry soap, hand soap, dish soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, and other toiletries...
• ½ gal. Clorox
• keep your cars’ gas tanks more than half full at all times
• see if you can work from home, but if you absolutely have to go out, use latex gloves and an N-95 dust mask
• keep enough money in your account to be able to pay your bills until you can return to work
*Popcorn will make much better cornmeal when ground than whole yellow corn, but you have to have a strong wheat grinder that can grind grains as hard as popcorn. Not all are. Plus, popcorn pops!

[AZ Prepper]

Preparing for a Pandemic Influenza Outbreak The Self Imposed Reverse Isolation (SIRQ) Plan
by Kenneth Moravec

1) Protecting the Family – Building a Safe Haven
a. Protecting the family from the influenza virus is central to the plan.
b. This requires that families sequester themselves from the outside world in order to avoid infection.

i. Children should not go to school or play with friends.
ii. Parents should work from home as much as possible.
iii. The family should not attend public events (sporting events, cultural events, religious services, etc.).
iv. If family members do have to leave sequestration, they must be educated and committed to maintaining protection.
c. Parents

i. Must establish their home as a protected cell.
ii. Must understand that as long as their family is sequestered they are safe, but safety is only good AS LONG AS EVERY FAMILY MEMBER REMAINS SAFE AND DOES NOT BRING THE INFECTION HOME.
iii. Must understand the importance of not allowing children to interact with others outside the family during the time the plan is in place.
iv. Must know how to remain safe when they leave the home:




1. Protective equipment,
2. Protective methods of interacting in an infectious environment.


v. Must have their homes prepared for a disruption in services.
d. Children

i. Are at high risk for transmission of disease because of less than ideal hygiene, close contact with others in closed environments, inadequate hand washing, etc.
ii. Need to be sequestered in family groups.
iii. Need to be isolated from others who are potentially infected.
iv. Need to be trained in methods of protecting themselves from infection at their level.
2) Protecting the Individual
a. During an influenza pandemic, any individual that has to interact with the outside world must consider all they come in contact with as being infected.
b. Individuals must know how to interact in such an environment:

i. Need education and training about how to protect themselves.
ii. Need protective equipment to allow them to interact.
3) Protecting the Community
a. Community leadership must support the SIRQ plan and strongly encourage its implementation:

i. Educating leaders, families and individuals about the plan.
ii. Implementation of reverse quarantine protection early (BEFORE THE INFECTION HITS THE COMMUNITY).
iii. Cancellation of schools, meetings, public venues, etc. (BEFORE THE INFECTION STARTS)
iv. Identify key services and individuals essential to these services:
1. Provide or strongly encourage personal protection use in all essential sectors early.
2. Plan on contingencies.
b. Must provide venues for education of individuals and families.
c. Should facilitate obtaining protective equipment for individuals or groups.
d. Must lead by example.
This plan can be implemented without government or community support. A family or individual could use this plan and protect themselves as long as they are willing to keep themselves separate.