The Ultimate Pandemic Survival Guide

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Last Updated on September 7, 2024 by Paul Clayton

The Ultimate Pandemic Survival Guide – Top Tips, Best Practices, and More!

The ultimate pandemic survival guide covers all aspects, from understanding the nature of pandemics and prevention strategies to maintaining mental health during lockdowns.

• Understand viruses, symptoms, transmission, and prevention.
• Follow government guidelines strictly for effective prevention.
• Maintain hand hygiene with frequent washing and sanitizing.
• Eat well, sleep enough, and exercise regularly for health.
• Get vaccinated once vaccines are available and approved.

After the sudden emergence of the coronavirus, more people are taking pandemic survival seriously. However, COVID-19 isn’t the only virus with pandemic potential, and it could be far tamer than others.

So, if you’re wondering how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe from another world pandemic, this is your guide.

Here, you’ll learn more about current pandemic threats, tips and tricks on how to protect your health, and a pandemic survival list of gear you should consider stocking up on.

Don’t put this off before it’s too late—keep reading for the ultimate pandemic survival guide, which will help you take action today to help you tomorrow.

World Pandemics – The Basics

Fortunately for the current population, the coronavirus pandemic was our first and only experience. However, despite global medical advancements, pandemics have been prevalent throughout history.

By definition, ‘pandemic’ can be an adjective or a noun. The terminology either refers to ‘an outbreak of a pandemic disease’ or can be used as a descriptor, ‘(of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world.’

Pandemics are often caused by:

● A new virus or strain that can be easily transmissible between humans.
● Bacteria that are resistant to antibiotic treatments
● A developing new disease that can spread rapidly (similar to the bubonic plague or the ‘Black Death’).

All in all, pandemics result from humans having little (or no) immunity against a new virus, strain, bacteria, or disease. What makes a pandemic even worse is if that virus or disease begins to mutate, rapidly speeding up the spread.

The key difference between a pandemic and an epidemic is that a pandemic affects multiple countries or continents. In contrast, an epidemic is categorized by smaller, localized regions affected by an illness.

For instance, the World Health Organization (WHO) was responsible for declaring COVID-19 as a pandemic once the group realized the illness was spreading quickly and quite severely.

But the coronavirus isn’t the only recent virus that caused a pandemic, and it won’t be the last.

So, next, let’s look at past pandemics and see what experts are predicting for the future.

Pandemic Health Statistics – The Past & Future

According to John Hopkins, the coronavirus death rate is 5.9%, which puts the most recent pandemic into perspective. Other viruses that raise pandemic concerns, like SARS, had a death rate of 10%, while MERS has a death rate of about 35%.

● SARS—The SARS virus was first detected in Asia in February 2003. Quickly, over the following months, it spread to over 20 different countries in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. In the end, SARS caused 8,098 cases and 774 deaths.

● COVID-19—The COVID-19, or coronavirus pandemic, also originated in Asia, specifically Wuhan, China. As many of us know, the infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus was declared a pandemic in March 2020 after an outbreak began earlier that year.

As of July 2022, there have been 550,725,753 cases worldwide, with over 6.4 million deaths.

● MERS—In 2012, the MERS, aka Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (a type of coronavirus) pandemic, began after spreading to 27 different countries, with 884 deaths reported. The areas affected include the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.

These viruses all share a few things in common. For one, their origins are not fully understood, and they’re also transmissible from human-to-human contact. That makes figuring out how to survive a pandemic even more complicated.

Not only will you not know what’s coming next, but you will also not know how to avoid it without completely cutting off human interaction.

To help, it’s best to know or understand the viruses with the most pandemic potential. That way, you can be aware and informed in case another pandemic does occur.

The Types of Viruses with Pandemic Potential

Now, it seems anyone and everyone is on high alert for health scares and potential world pandemics. Here are the most prevalent viruses on the horizon that experts say could be the next to cause a global pandemic.

• Monkeypox

Monkeypox is a viral disease currently noted by the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) as an ‘outbreak’ in the US. That means cases have been reported in several countries yet haven’t reached the quantity necessary to be considered a pandemic.

So far, scientists are aware that monkeypox is transmissible through human contact, and early data suggests that a high number of cases are gay and bisexual men. To be cautious and preventative, be aware that monkeypox can spread through –

● Contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids.

● Respiratory droplets like those transferred through face-to-face contact or during intimate physical contact.

● Touching items touched by body fluids or the infectious rash previously.

● Pregnant women can spread the virus to their fetus through the placenta.

It’s important to know and understand monkeypox symptoms for awareness’s sake since they’re the most recent world pandemic threat. Those include symptoms similar to smallpox, however much milder and rarely fatal, including –

● Fever

● Muscle or backaches

● Headache

● Chills or exhaustion

● Swollen lymph nodes

● A pimple or blister-like rash that appears inside the mouth, on the face, or in other body parts.

When infected, the illness can last anywhere from two to four weeks, making prevention much more critical.

• Flu

Every year, the flu seems to plague certain parts of the population without reaching pandemic-type numbers. But that doesn’t mean it can’t, as shown by the 1918 influenza pandemic when 50 million people died in just one year.

The isolated incident is now commonly called the ‘The Spanish Flu’ but not because that’s where the virus originated.

It was coined ‘Spanish’ because Spain was among the first countries to announce its cases. It’s important to know that the flu can affect specific populations more severely than others, like COVID-19.

Those over the age of 65, those with chronic medical conditions, pregnant women, and children under the age of five, for example, are especially vulnerable to influenza.

On the bright side, the seasonal or common flu is the illness we know best. It can be prevented with a flu shot vaccine annually, and most individuals have built some immunity against different variants over the years.

However, avian or bird influenza viruses also have pandemic potential, which brings us to our next virus with pandemic potential – H5N1.

• H5N1

In April 2022, a case of H5N1, or bird avian flu, was reported in Colorado, which means there could be pandemic potential shortly. The CDC has been closely monitoring cases in 34 states and monitoring the health of 2,400 patient exposures since 2021.

The first international case was reported in the United Kingdom in December 2021 in a person with no symptoms and raised birds infected with the H5N1 virus.

Since 2003, more than 880 human infections have occurred, but over time, the H5N1 virus has mutated into different variants than previously seen.

At its core, H5N1 is a pathogenic flu that’s fatal to fowl and is transmitted from birds to humans.

So far, no human immunity has been found, and no vaccine has been developed for prevention. To help, here are a few tips to avoid contact or exposure to H5N1.

● Avoid contact with wild birds. Wild birds can be infected with H5N1 and not show any symptoms of illness.

● Avoid contact with domestic birds (poultry) that have died or look sickly.

● Avoid touching surfaces in contact with wild or domestic birds’ feces, mucous, or saliva.

Like COVID-19, H5N1 has particular protocols if infected or exposed to the virus. Including –

● People who become sick within 10 days of exposure to infected birds should isolate themselves from their household members at home and not go into public until they are proven not to have bird flu virus infection and have recovered completely.

Your local or state public health department will assist and monitor individual isolations if infected.

● Close contacts (family members, etc.) of exposed people should monitor their health and symptoms within 10 days and report any unusual symptoms (especially respiratory symptoms) to their healthcare provider.

• COVID-19

We all know COVID-19 is still lurking as new cases are reported in 2022. Experts differ on whether it will continue to increase or wain off to an epidemic level.

However, we do know so far that the virus is highly capable of mutating, which could cause the emergence of new variants, like Delta and Omicron, which previously wreaked havoc.

To avoid or be prepared for the next wave of coronavirus or these other viruses and illnesses, we have tips, tricks, and gear for you to consider and implement.

Pandemic Health – How to Protect Yours

It’s important to take protective measures regarding your health during a pandemic or to avoid the possibility of one.

Here are a few simple tips and tricks you can practice daily to ensure you stay healthy and help prevent global pandemics from spreading through unhealthy habits.

1. year-round, washing your hands thoroughly and often with water and soap is key for pandemic health and health. Alternatively, using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is sufficient. It’s recommended to wash your hands for at least 15-30 seconds to remove germs sufficiently.

2. Avoid touching your nose, mouth, and eyes without washing your hands first.

3. cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or use your sleeve when you cough or sneeze. If you use your hands to catch the cough or sneeze, wash your hands immediately afterward and discard the tissue, too.

4. During a pandemic or outbreak, avoiding crowded places and staying home if possible is best.

5. Be sure to clean and disinfect household surfaces daily.

6. If you’re sick – stay home and don’t add to the unnecessary spread of illnesses.

How to Survive a Pandemic – Best Practices

Nobody was prepared for the 2020 onslaught of COVID-19 precautions and restrictions. But for future health threats, you can learn how to survive a pandemic beforehand to be sure you’re ready next time.

So, without further ado, here’s a pandemic survival list of best practices to know and implement now.

1. Make a plan to work from home—If you don’t already work remotely, it’s time to explore whether you can when you have to. Ask your employer if they offer work-from-home opportunities in case of future pandemics or if they’d be willing to develop one if one occurs.

If not, explore other ways to earn an income from home or develop skills you can use to earn money, barter, or trade, if necessary.

2. Make an emergency contact list – In a pandemic or global disaster, you may lose access to your cloud-based or technology-based contact lists.

And who can remember phone numbers anymore? In the event of a world pandemic or a threat that takes out internet-based databases, be sure to have a backup to contact loved ones and essential agencies.

3. Seek out aid organizations – Whether local or national, if you need support, health services, or information, you’ll need to know the closest or available organizations on standby to help.

This may include local health departments, hospitals, or organizations like the Red Cross. Peruse these sites beforehand and sign up for any emergency alert or notification system to stay informed.

4. Make an education backup plan – If schools become closed, and stores or resources are unreachable… how will you continue to educate your children? Stock up on educational books or resources now to ensure no gap in learning or development in the case of a global pandemic again.

5. Protect your health—Your safeguard against pandemic health threats is protecting your health and building up your immune system ahead of time.

Eating a healthy diet, exercising, sleeping well, and managing stress are simple ways to maintain your health and avoid conditions that could worsen your susceptibility to viruses.

6. Begin storing supplies—You can never be too prepared for a pandemic health crisis, especially since we’ve all seen how a world pandemic can affect the supply chain of supplies for everyday essentials and necessities.

Stocking up on pandemic survival gear (check out our list below!) and basics like food, water, and toiletries will help you survive and live more comfortably through a pandemic.

Of course, you should be mindful that you should be preparing for your basic survival needs. This shouldn’t require a two-year supply or affect the goods others need to buy, too (hence, the toilet paper debacle of COVID-19).

Being prepared with these basics will help you feel more at ease if a natural disaster occurs or if a pandemic has the potential to disrupt your daily life for an undetermined amount of time.

Global Disaster and Survival Tips

In addition to knowing how to survive a pandemic, it’s essential to understand the survival basics for potential global disasters, like natural environmental events, nuclear threats, war, etc.

While both are similar in preparation and response, here are two tips to help you survive.

1. Be prepared – Begin ASAP on building water and non-perishable food stockpiles. During a disaster or pandemic, getting to a store with supplies may be impossible or difficult (without fighting with the masses!).

Also, remember that public access to water could be interrupted by specific threats or issues, such as power outages.

It would help if you stocked up on foods that don’t require refrigeration or cooking and those that require little to no water in case your supply needs to be saved.

2. Stay in tune with vital information – What’s worse than a global disaster happening at all? Not having any source of crucial information to be aware of the oncoming threat ahead of time or to help you get through the aftermath.

That means you’ll need to add a few other points of contact or resources to your emergency contact list for pandemic or disaster survival.

Helpful numbers or web sources to sign up for:

a. CDC.gov – The CDC’s website is always up to date with the latest world pandemic research, news, notifications, and case statistics.

If you don’t have the internet, you can also reach them on their Hotline at 800-232-4636 (1-800-CDC-Info). The line is available 24/7 in English and Spanish. The CDC can also be reached by email at cdcinfo@cdc.gov.

b. Local and state governments – Bookmark, write down or sign up for notifications from your local and state government websites to ensure you have access to trustworthy news during a world pandemic or global disaster.

c. Connect with the radio and other forms of communication—Not everything is connected to the Internet these days, so it’s best to be sure you have a connection to the outside world if the Wi-Fi goes down.

Get a radio capable of tapping into local or national radio stations, a TV with an antenna, or subscribe to publications online or in print that you trust for news.

By now, you might be wondering: what other types of pandemic survival gear would be helpful to buy ahead of time? Your ultimate pandemic survival list is coming up next!

Global Pandemic Survival Gear You Need

If you’re serious about prepping for a worldwide pandemic or disaster, here’s a list of goods that’ll help with any ‘worst-case scenario’ type of situation.

● First aid emergency kit
● Alcohol-based hand sanitizer
● Butane torch
● Portable water filter
● Gas
● Blankets
● Solar power generator
● Cellular signal boosting kit
● Face masks or gas masks
● Hazmat suits
● Cleaning supplies
● Trash bags
● Rubber gloves
● Duct tape

What are the Biggest Pandemics in History?

Three significant events come to mind when discussing the biggest pandemics in history. First, the 2009 Swine Flu Pandemic, caused by the H1N1 flu virus, emerged from an outbreak in North America but quickly became a global health crisis.

Then, there was the 1968 Flu Pandemic, also known as the Hong Kong flu. This pandemic originated in China and was caused by the H3N2 flu A virus.

Lastly, the 1918 Flu Pandemic, often called the “Spanish flu,” was another devastating event caused by an H1N1 flu virus. These pandemics have had significant impacts on global health and society.

The Final Words – Pandemic Survival Guide

This ultimate pandemic survival guide provides an exhaustive compilation of essential information and practical steps individuals can take to safeguard their health during a pandemic.

This guide emphasizes the need to fully understand the nature of viruses, their symptoms, methods of transmission, and, most importantly, strategies for prevention.

To effectively prevent the spread of the virus, it is crucial to adhere strictly to guidelines issued by government health authorities. These guidelines often include maintaining rigorous hand hygiene through frequent washing and sanitizing.

Beyond these preventive measures, the guide also advocates for a holistic approach to health maintenance. This includes consuming a balanced diet, ensuring sufficient sleep, and incorporating regular exercise into one’s routine.

Such measures boost the immune system and help maintain well-being during challenging times.

Lastly, the importance of vaccination. Once a vaccine is available and approved by medical authorities, getting vaccinated becomes a critical line of defense against the virus.

Vaccination protects the individual and contributes to community immunity. Thus, this guide is a comprehensive resource for understanding and effectively navigating any pandemic.

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