Bird Flu Influenza and how to survive it!

By: David Bradley

We've all seen the scare stories in the media about the coming of avian influenza, or bird flu as it's more commonly known, and most of us have shrugged off the claims of a mutant strain of the virus infecting people and spreading among humans. Scientists around the world, however, could be said to be panicking as they try to work out whether or not H5N1 or some other lethal strain of avian influenza is going to turn into the next pandemic. There are some who say that it is inevitable and that it will be far worse than the Spanish Flu that killed an estimated 50 million people at the end of World War I. One researcher estimates that 350 million people could die if H5N1 mutates into a contagious form. One thing is for certain, doctors and hospitals won't have adequate vaccine supplies or the antiviral medicines, such as Tamiflu or Relenza, to cope with a pandemic on such a scale, because the drug companies will simply not be able to produce enough quickly enough and to get them to where they are needed. Think about it, if the flu spreads quickly pharmaceutical factory workers will be at just as much risk as anyone else, then there are infected medical staff to consider...

There are literally dozens of snake oil vendors on the net trying to cash in on everyone's fear of bird flu and the media hype surrounding it. Many are offering useless herbal and homeopathic remedies for influenza. You're welcome to try these for your family, but I'd rather be safer than sorry, given that there is very little if any clinical evidence that homeopathy works at all, and some herbal remedies of unknown origin come with their own problems, such as toxic contaminants and even heavy metals.

As such, it could be time to take preventative measures before it's too late. No one knows when a flu pandemic will emerge or how many people might be affected. Australian biologist Stephen Jones suspects that most of us will not be prepared and has written a reference book that discusses the issues - explaining in detail what avian influenza actually is, what could happen, what are the symptoms, and what to do. He also looks into what everyone should have in their medicine cabinets before a pandemic strikes and basically how to survive. He has also carried out a study of the alternatives to Tamiflu and Relenza that are available in the area of complimentary medicine. After all, if there isn't enough Tamiflu or Relenza to go around, a herbal remedy might be your only chance!

Jones' book - the Bird Flu Survival Guide is available online.

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