Off shoot of SHTF thread, Bird flu prep.

**Brown-Bear** · March 9th, 2008, 11:54 AM

Not wanting to highjack his thread I started this one.

Are you guys thinking about bird flu or no? Its only a matter of time til it hits the home of the brave. Forget ammo, they don't make a bullett small enough to impact a virus! Get a flu shot, and I'll tell you why.

First the flu has several, and by several I mean hundreds of different strains. The CDC anbd the dept of health work to gether to find the best possible combo of strains to be put into the vaccine for a given flu season. Mostly 3-4 different strains, so in theroy if you got a flu shot every year for the next 5 yrs you would have built up immunity for up to 15-20 different strains.

This pending epidemic is the single most SHTF type scenario out there today. So be prepared and get a shot.

BB

**RandomTask** · March 9th, 2008, 12:15 PM

A sure-fire way to avoid the bird flu is to cork all your orifices, keep your eyes shut and hold your breath... or move into a plastic bubble.

**Rule10b5** · March 9th, 2008, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by Brown-Bear

Not wanting to highjack his thread I started this one.

Are you guys thinking about bird flu or no? Its only a matter of time til it hits the home of the brave. Forget ammo, they don't make a bullett small enough to impact a virus! Get a flu shot, and I'll tell you why.

First the flu has several, and by several I mean hundreds of different strains. The CDC anbd the dept of health work to gether to find the best possible combo of strains to be put into the vaccine for a given flu season. Mostly 3-4 different strains, so in theroy if you got a flu shot every year for the next 5 yrs you would have built up immunity for up to 15-20 different strains.

This pending epidemic is the single most SHTF type scenario out there today. So be prepared and get a shot.

BB

H5N1 vaccine is already in the federal stockpile. You can't buy it, but they've had it since April, 2007. So if bird flu strikes, you can count on our BRAVE and FEARLESS leaders in the LAND OF THE FREE making sure that YOU get it. After all, they did a heck of a job on Katrina! If you really want it an are willing to go to the trouble you could probably get it off shore and have it shipped in, but that'd be illegal. And you wouldn't know for sure if you were getting what you ordered.

Getting a shot every year isn't going to do you any good for H5N1 -- it's not included in the yearly mix. And there isn't much carryover from year to year in terms of protection (as you note) because there are so many types.

And the protection diminishes over time. So while you might be able to get 3 strains a year, by the end of 5 years or so (when you then have 15 covered), the protection from the first 3 will be minimal.

**Whiterook** · March 9th, 2008, 01:25 PM

Until it hits here? Has it hit anywhere?

**ungawa** · March 9th, 2008, 03:20 PM

I grew up in NJ and my extended familly were Jews and Italians. I know what works for the flu, I got chicken soup stacked to my basement ceiling. I'm ready

**bogey1** · March 9th, 2008, 03:21 PM

damn, i just got over the most nastyass flu I'd ever had...7 days of hell

**IceFire** · March 9th, 2008, 03:59 PM

Thanks, I'll pass. Can't take the flu shots...I'm allergic. But, then again, I never get the flu. Nasty sinus infections, yes. Flu, no. (except for the ONE time the Army gave me a flu shot, and then I got a BAD case of it, AFTER I got over the anaphalactic shock. NEVER again!)