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News of avian flu may be buried in the back of newspapers, but prepare for the possibility that it will become front-page news
By JOE WARMINGTON
Tue, February 14, 2006
Are you one of those people who follows only the stuff at the beginning of a newscast or in the front pages of the newspaper?
There are a lot of clues about what's developing on the back pages too. The headline on Page 27 of yesterday's Sun is an example: "Nigeria ignores flu advice."
Don't forget, the first story in the Sun about Hurricane Katrina was a tiny one on Page 12. This story yesterday was about how people on the other side of the world decided to keep open their poultry markets -- despite warnings the latest strain of bird flu could mutate into a virus that could affect humans.
Even though they are waiting to learn if some ill children were hit with the H5N1 strain of the flu, Nigerian agriculture ministry spokesman Tope Ajakaiye said, "We don't want to cause a situation where there will be much panic or alarm."
Time will tell if this was a good decision, to prevent panic. One wonders if it's akin to the glass shaking on a table in the Jurassic Park -- as in, you have yet to see the vicious Tyrannosaurus rex who will try to kill you but you know he is coming. It's not a matter of if, but when. Screenwriters love to foreshadow. Problem is, this is real life.
SCARY STUFF
One thing for sure, a pandemic is not Page 27 news. Are you prepared for one? Walk around town this week and you won't find too many people without the sniffles. It seems everybody has that nasty bug. At least there are antibiotics. But what happens if one day it's some strain of the avian flu and there is no vaccine? Scary stuff.
Are you thinking about this? There are some who are. Dr. Howard Lim, a popular west-end dentist for the past quarter century, takes all airborne germ issues seriously.
"What's good for the patients is good for me," he said of why he installed a new state-of-the-art purifying machine in his Dundas and Bathurst office. "If somebody offers me surgically clean air, I pay attention."
A lot of medical offices, and regular offices, too, are starting to think this way, says Patrick Hill, director of International Clean Air Services in Burlington.
His is one of several Canadian companies working with Chinese manufacturers to build a portable air-cleansing product with a high-density carbon filter that can trap all sorts of microscopic germs, odours, fumes and dust particles from the air -- and protect against viral and bacterial worries.
"We think we have the best product in the world right now," Hill said. "We can't keep them in stock because people are paying attention to what's going on."
Lim is pleased he was one of the first to buy in. "The machine after one month was full of moulds picked up in the air," he said. "I'd rather they be in the machine than in my patients' lungs."
Will there be a day when these machines are in every school, home, office and on every airplane? Meanwhile, one wonders how many Canadians will actually prepare themselves an emergency survival kit.
Allison Stuart, director of the Emergency Management Unit of the ministry of health, thinks you should. "We know, based on history, going back centuries, things can happen. We owe it to ourselves to be ready. We have got to be ready."
The province of Ontario is ready -- at least as ready as you can be. In the past our government has done a great job of responding to things like the ice storm, massive floods, the Walkerton nightmare, the giant power outage and, of course, the SARS situation.
"It's about making plans," said Michael Morton, assistant chief of training and education for Emergency Management Ontario. "In reality, an emergency could happen a minute from now, a year from now or never."
But when it comes to a pandemic, he says, it's only wise to be prepared.
"Ontario is the safest place in the world to live and yet we have seen we can be affected." He and his wife have an emergency kit in both their home and in their car.
Morton suggests you do the same. "I think it's so important for every member of the public to prepare a personal emergency kit," he said.
LIMITED MOBILITY
This would include water, food, money, medical supplies, batteries, a flashlight, a battery-less radio and other items.
Morton says if there ever is a pandemic people will be glad they did it because in such a situation it could be difficult to go outside, go to the bank or get supplies.
If you are fully stocked, a person could get their family in their homes and be able to sustain themselves until the situation is stabilized.
"Having a kit at the minimum will make life more pleasant," Morton said, adding it also puts less strain on the system, which would be taxed in such a reality.
So what's the moral of the story? Well, if you've read this, you're already a person who looks past the first couple of headlines.
Maybe you'll start making your plan for the day the pandemic story moves from Page 27 to Page 1.
By JOE WARMINGTON
Tue, February 14, 2006
Are you one of those people who follows only the stuff at the beginning of a newscast or in the front pages of the newspaper?
There are a lot of clues about what's developing on the back pages too. The headline on Page 27 of yesterday's Sun is an example: "Nigeria ignores flu advice."
Don't forget, the first story in the Sun about Hurricane Katrina was a tiny one on Page 12. This story yesterday was about how people on the other side of the world decided to keep open their poultry markets -- despite warnings the latest strain of bird flu could mutate into a virus that could affect humans.
Even though they are waiting to learn if some ill children were hit with the H5N1 strain of the flu, Nigerian agriculture ministry spokesman Tope Ajakaiye said, "We don't want to cause a situation where there will be much panic or alarm."
Time will tell if this was a good decision, to prevent panic. One wonders if it's akin to the glass shaking on a table in the Jurassic Park -- as in, you have yet to see the vicious Tyrannosaurus rex who will try to kill you but you know he is coming. It's not a matter of if, but when. Screenwriters love to foreshadow. Problem is, this is real life.
SCARY STUFF
One thing for sure, a pandemic is not Page 27 news. Are you prepared for one? Walk around town this week and you won't find too many people without the sniffles. It seems everybody has that nasty bug. At least there are antibiotics. But what happens if one day it's some strain of the avian flu and there is no vaccine? Scary stuff.
Are you thinking about this? There are some who are. Dr. Howard Lim, a popular west-end dentist for the past quarter century, takes all airborne germ issues seriously.
"What's good for the patients is good for me," he said of why he installed a new state-of-the-art purifying machine in his Dundas and Bathurst office. "If somebody offers me surgically clean air, I pay attention."
A lot of medical offices, and regular offices, too, are starting to think this way, says Patrick Hill, director of International Clean Air Services in Burlington.
His is one of several Canadian companies working with Chinese manufacturers to build a portable air-cleansing product with a high-density carbon filter that can trap all sorts of microscopic germs, odours, fumes and dust particles from the air -- and protect against viral and bacterial worries.
"We think we have the best product in the world right now," Hill said. "We can't keep them in stock because people are paying attention to what's going on."
Lim is pleased he was one of the first to buy in. "The machine after one month was full of moulds picked up in the air," he said. "I'd rather they be in the machine than in my patients' lungs."
Will there be a day when these machines are in every school, home, office and on every airplane? Meanwhile, one wonders how many Canadians will actually prepare themselves an emergency survival kit.
Allison Stuart, director of the Emergency Management Unit of the ministry of health, thinks you should. "We know, based on history, going back centuries, things can happen. We owe it to ourselves to be ready. We have got to be ready."
The province of Ontario is ready -- at least as ready as you can be. In the past our government has done a great job of responding to things like the ice storm, massive floods, the Walkerton nightmare, the giant power outage and, of course, the SARS situation.
"It's about making plans," said Michael Morton, assistant chief of training and education for Emergency Management Ontario. "In reality, an emergency could happen a minute from now, a year from now or never."
But when it comes to a pandemic, he says, it's only wise to be prepared.
"Ontario is the safest place in the world to live and yet we have seen we can be affected." He and his wife have an emergency kit in both their home and in their car.
Morton suggests you do the same. "I think it's so important for every member of the public to prepare a personal emergency kit," he said.
LIMITED MOBILITY
This would include water, food, money, medical supplies, batteries, a flashlight, a battery-less radio and other items.
Morton says if there ever is a pandemic people will be glad they did it because in such a situation it could be difficult to go outside, go to the bank or get supplies.
If you are fully stocked, a person could get their family in their homes and be able to sustain themselves until the situation is stabilized.
"Having a kit at the minimum will make life more pleasant," Morton said, adding it also puts less strain on the system, which would be taxed in such a reality.
So what's the moral of the story? Well, if you've read this, you're already a person who looks past the first couple of headlines.
Maybe you'll start making your plan for the day the pandemic story moves from Page 27 to Page 1.
