H1N1 (Swine Flu) Archives

Safety Of The H1N1 Vaccine And Pregnancy

 

In recent years vaccines have taken a hit. It used to be that vaccines were trusted, no questions asked. It took vaccines to knock out Smallpox. Today, many people question the safety of vaccines, some attribute vaccines to the cause of Autism. The H1N1 vaccine has been met with skepticism, and it’s no wonder when you turn on the TV and see study after study with different conclusions. Most vaccines are safe and effective against the targeted disease, and stay the same, year after year. Not so with flu vaccines.

With flu vaccines, scientists have to guess what strains will be the dominant strain that season, then create a cocktail of dead viruses for that years vaccine. Sometimes they miss the strongest strain and that seasons vaccine is not as effective. Add to this, the flu viruses are always changing and mutating. The virus can change the shape of it’s receptors that allow it to link to the human cells and begin infection.

 

Is the H1N1 vaccine safe, Is it safe for pregnant women
© Cyril Serpault – Fotolia.com

With H1N1, this is a new flu virus, or one that has been dormant for a long time, hence the higher immunity for people born before 1950. They must have had contact with this virus, or a similar one, at some time, and developed antibodies against it. The perception with the H1N1 vaccine is that it is a completely new vaccine, and that is true. It is also true that if the virus had been noticed earlier, it would have been included in the normal seasonal flu vaccine, and most people would have never known the difference. So, is this vaccine safe? That’s for you to decide, but consider the following. The vaccine is made in the exact same way the seasonal flu vaccine is made. As I stated earlier, it would have been included in the seasonal vaccine, if discovered in time for production. Since the vaccine is produced the same way as the seasonal vaccine, there are still people who should avoid it, especially people allergic to eggs.

One of the major worries about the H1N1 vaccine concerns pregnant women. A lot of pregnant women, and future fathers, are worried about the vaccines link to autism. While the jury is still out on the vaccine-autism link, there are things to consider. The H1N1 virus is deadly to pregnant women and their unborn child. You have to ask yourself, which would be worse, taking the vaccine and having a healthy pregnancy and child, with an extremely low chance of autism (if any), or the death of both the mother and child from H1N1 flu? Even if a pregnant woman catches the virus and lives through it, there are cases where the illness leads to severe mental birth defects in the child. These birth defects are much more severe than autism, and much more likely than vaccine related autism, to occur.

The decision is completely up to the mother, and should be. When making that decision, please weigh the facts above and consider which course of action has the best outcome.

 

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Swine Flu Warnings From The 1970′s

This is a series of Government Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) from 1976 warning people to get the swine flu vaccine. It’s actually very creepy to see these commercials. There are reports that there was a swine flu death in 1976 and over twenty deaths from the old vaccine. Please keep in mind that this was over 30 years ago and medicine and vaccine production has come a long way since then. As with any situation that is known throughout the world and shown constantly on the news, there will be conspiracy theories regarding the swine flu vaccine. I am in no way adding to the conspiracy theories, but these commercials do make you think. Please click the link below to view the commercials.

Swine Flu Vaccine Commercials From The 1970′s

I will post follow ups on this as I research it. I am not saying the vaccine is dangerous, in fact I am most likely going to get the vaccine when it is available to me.

Recession and Depression are words that are being bandied about on news and business programmes. Having just been sent the piece below it is essential that as many as possible know what is being said in certain responsible quarters and how it might be possible to survive what is a-coming, and some perceive that it has already started.

For many years we have been warning of a coming economic crash in America, and since 2006 we have been warning specifically of the HOUSING crisis, and the recession and depression that would follow. You will notice that everything we have been predicting is now coming true. In fact, a number of the most respected economists now state that the USA is already in Recession – beginning in December 2007. Sadly it is going to get much much worse.

I remember one place that I preached in 2006, predicting that there would be a housing crash followed by an economic depression. There was a man smirking and laughing down the back of the room. I guess that smirk may be missing now.

I want to get into “How to Survive” the coming Depression in a moment, but firstly I need to paint a picture of some of what is ahead. My strong belief is that, particularly in America, this crisis is going to be WORSE than the GREAT DEPRESSION.

And it is going to last for YEARS.

Other developed nations such as England, Ireland, Spain, Canada, Germany and even Australasia – are going to be very hard-hit also. China, India and much of Asia will be pounded at first, but I believe will recover faster. All of this is already underway.

How bad is it going to get? I believe that Christians in America need to face the fact that they are about to live through one of the WORST 5 – 7 year periods that this country has ever seen, and they need to be preparing NOW. We have not even seen the beginning of the worst of this crisis yet.

I know that there are people on this List who have heavy mortgages, who did not listen to me months ago when I started warning about the Housing crisis. Sadly some of these people are already staring down the barrel of losing everything they own.

In fact, millions of American Christians are about to become utterly destitute. A lot of “innocent” and not-so-innocent people are going to get caught out by this, and many ministries that rely on “big money” are going to get crushed.

At the end of the day, this entire thing is a judgment on the great idol of Mammon in this country. God is going to bring that idol down. He is going to smash it to pieces, and separate His true gospel from that of the Mammonites in the church. And woe unto those who get caught under that avalanche when it falls.

Sadly, many poor and underprivileged people in this country are already being affected. We need to have a heart of compassion and be reaching out to these ones as things grow worse.

(By the way, speaking of avalanches, you may remember my warnings about “Derivatives” and the need to watch the “Insurers” of the markets. Already these areas are extremely shaky, and the danger of an “economic tsunami” is high).

HOW to SURVIVE and EVEN THRIVE

There is only one type of Christian that I believe will survive – and maybe even thrive – during the coming Depression – and that is the Christian who is ministering actively to the POOR. It does not matter how much gold or US T-bills you store up. It is only “heavenly treasure” that will do. Do not expect to do well if you only selfishly consider yourself and your own family. Those who are ministering to the poor and needy I believe have a chance to literally THRIVE in this situation, while those who “hoard to themselves” can expect God’s great displeasure. He is simply not going to put up with it any more.

The other thing that will make all the difference is a strong linking of arms with several others of LIKE MIND. This too is very important. If you are part of a home group, then this may be fairly easy to do.

Talk to them about it. Come together in a strong bond of unity between, say, 4 families or individuals. But watch carefully how you choose. These relationships need to be able to survive a prolonged crisis. You may end up LIVING with these people. And they need to be a good fit ministry-wise also.

These two things – (1) Linking arms with a small close-knit group of Christian believers, and (2) Ministering actively amongst the poor and needy – these two things will make all the difference. And we need to start doing this NOW. Don’t wait until the crisis suddenly worsens. That may be too late. Start a “free meal” in your town. Do something! The hour is late.

I believe this is an opportunity for the true Church to come forth and display the Glory of Jesus in this nation – like a beacon set upon a hill. This crisis could be the Church’s finest hour – if only we will heed His call. Let the true Church be the one to shine – not the Red Cross, not FEMA. May God’s true remnant come forth in this hour to display His compassion and glory to all the earth. It could be the making of the American church – it really could.

Everything I am telling you in this email is so critical, I literally do not know how to stress it enough – it is that vital. There are going to be people who ignore what I am saying here who will literally regret it for the rest of their lives. No joke. You can mark it down.

Some ignored my warnings about the Housing market to their great cost. Others are going to ignore the two things that I am stressing most strongly here – (1) Banding together in small close-knit groups, and (2) Ministering to the poor. And it is going to cost them almost everything.

But this is all I can do – cry aloud and hope that some will listen.

Please pass this on to other Christians who hope to survive the coming crisis, my friends.

As I first read the piece above I thought that if this is even partially true we are in for a serious time. Already in 2008 there have been astonishing financial decisions taken with regard to the Economy in America. It is a warning and it is always wise to give heed to such possibly prophetic warnings.

Sandy Shaw

Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children’s Panel in Scotland, and has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, speaking, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, making 12 visits to Israel conducting Tours and Pilgrimages, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya, ministering at Pastors and Leaders Seminars, in the poor areas surrounding Kampala, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

He broadcasts regularly on WSHO radio out of New Orleans, and writes a weekly commentary at http://www.studylight.org entitled “Word from Scotland” on various biblical themes, as well as a weekly newspaper column.

His M.A. and B.D. degrees are from The University of Edinburgh, and he continues to run and exercise regularly to maintain a level of physical fitness.

Sandy Shaw [email protected]

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More: How To Survive The Coming Recession Or Possible Depression

When we think “wilderness survival shelter we tend to think of a cave in the snow, or maybe a pile of logs set up for protection, or perhaps even a home in a cave. There are many ways that you can make a shelter in the wilderness, and it depends of course on what kind of wilderness area you happen to be stranded in… or plan to escape to when disaster hits.

The method of survival shelter also depends on what time of year it is.

Let’s just imagine for a moment at what we can prepare AHEAD of time for the purpose of surviving in the wilderness….

What if….

We could build a simple camp on wheels kind of thing??

You know, sort of like a pop up trailer, except rugged enough and STURDY enough to be taken anywhere that your SUV or pickup can take it.

A portable camping shelter is what hunters use when they spend a few weeks in the woods…

It is perfect for the Do It Yourself kind of guy that wants to have a wilderness survival shelter in a bag…. er… on a trailer… =)

Anyone that has ever spent time in a tent in a remote wilderness area knows there are certain downfalls to that.

* Rainy weather….everything gets wet and damp, and soon moldy if you can’t figure out a way to dry things.

* Uneven ground… it’s okay for a few nights, but it gets pretty old to try to find a spot to sleep where you won’t be rolling downhill or ending up in a small hollow in the ground!

* No storage area… all your gear and belongings are piled up against the tent wall, where it gets all wet with condensation…

* Stooping and Ducking…no head space or room to get dressed without stooping in half to do so.

These are all things that are fine and dandy when you are simply on a camping trip for a few days…but when you are thinking a wilderness SURVIVAL shelter, it’s not such a great thought to be doing it for weeks on end!

With some simple tools and supplies, you can build what the hunters call a portable camp and be all set for all kinds of weather.

There is actually a simple guide that will give you step by step instruction on how to build simple and yet sturdy portable camps, and we have added them to our Emergency-Survival-Skills.com site on the wilderness survival shelters page.

Believe me! If your survival plan involves possibly fleeing to the mountains, you will not want to be without this!

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http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Viola_Bontrager

Read more: Wilderness Survival Shelters – Portable Camping Shelters to the Rescue

The H1N1 virus is an air borne virus. It is present in droplets floating through the air when an infected person coughs, or sneezes.

The good news is that the virus does not live long outside of the body. It stays air borne for a very short period. The problems begin though, when the droplets find a resting place, such as grocery carts, hands, and other surfaces. The easiest way to catch the H1N1 virus is by touching areas where the virus is present, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

Handwasing is the best defense against H1N1, or swine flu
© Elenathewise – Fotolia.com

When someone infected with H1N1 coughs into their hands, then touches a grocery cart, or door handle, the virus moves from their hand to that object. The next person to touch that object now transfers the virus to his hands. A little while later, that person raises their hand to their mouth, or scratches their nose. The virus has just traveled from a sick person to an object to an uninfected persons hands, to their nose or mouth. If this person has a compromised immune system, or no anti-bodies to H1N1, then this person will most likely become sick with H1N1.

As you can see in the example above, the hands are the largest factor in transmitting the flu virus. The hands are a perfect area for the virus with moisture usually present. This is why washing your hands is so important. Washing does not kill the virus, but it does remove the majority of the virus from the hands. Even if you have had a vaccination against H1N1, washing your hands is still the most important thing you can do. You may never get the virus, but you may touch something with your virus laden hands, leaving the virus for someone else to deal with. Imagine a child touching a door knob that you just touched with unwashed hands. The flu traveled from your hands to the child and the child may catch the H1N1 flu.

Remember, the reason to wash your hands is not to kill the virus, but to remove it from your hands. Antibiotic soap is not needed and may actually do more harm than good. Most antibiotic soaps use triclosan which can kill good bacteria and possibly lead to antibiotic resistant strains that have adapted to become immune to the antibiotics. Ordinary soap is all that is required. If soap is not available, use an alcohol based hand wipe, or gel.

Besides coughing into your hands , a better alternative is to use a handkerchief , or the sleeve of you shirt / jacket. If you use a handkerchief, you must still wash your hands. You should also avoid raising your hand to your face as much as possible, and try to touch as little common areas as possible. Anything the public uses, door knobs, grocery carts, pens at the bank, could be covered with the virus, not to mention some very nasty bacteria.

The flu virus and other bugs are everywhere, it’s impossible not to come into contact with it throughout a normal day. The only way to have a chance of not catching the flu and spreading it is to wash your hands religiously.

Take Basic Steps To Avoid Catching H1N1

This virus is an an air borne flu. That, however, is only true for a short period of time. The virus needs to land, as it dies quickly in the air. The virus is not floating around

You should keep a comfortable room for quarantine if you catch the flu, for everyone's safety
© MR.LIGHTMAN – Fotolia.com

looking for a victim, it floats for a short period of time, then dies, or lands in an area it is safe. The most dangerous aspect of H1N1, is when it lands somewhere safe.

The good news concerning this fact is that is easily avoidable for most people. If you follow some basic principles, you can decrease the chance of catching it, altogether. The best means of survival is to not have to fight to survive in the first place.

  • Always do your best to avoid touching common areas. The virus can get on your hands in a matter of seconds, or less. These areas includes door handle, sinks, toilets, phones, elevator buttons, grocery carts, counter tops, and the worst of all, digital pens from Fed/Ex, or UPS deliveries.

  • Even if you have done everything possible to keep from touching “common areas”, DO NOT touch any part of your face. It is very important to keep from touching any moist opening, like your nostrils, eyes, and mouth. The virus will travel from your hands to a moist, rich, breeding ground without you even realizing it.

  • You should wash your hand every chance you get. The object is to not disinfect your hands by drowning, or killing the virus with chemicals. The point is to wash the virus away from you. Ordinary soap is the best tool you have. Your clean hands are the KEY.

  • If you sneeze, or cough, use your elbow, or hands. If you are sitting down with short sleeves on, pull your leg up and cough into your pants! No joking, it’s that important that you keep any fluids from escaping into the air.

  • One of the most difficult habits to break is shaking hands. We have been taught all of our lives how important a handshake is. The handshake can take a break. If someone reaches out to shake your hand, pat them on the back, instead. If they seem turned off, tell them why. Be honest, they need to understand the importance of it. If they feel you socially embarrassed them, so what? This is more important than some guy’s ego.

  • If you feel the least bit of fever, body aches, etc. Quarantine yourself! Times are hard, I know, but if we don’t show some personal responsibility in this pandemic, times will be much worse.

  • Disposable kleenex ,or bathroom tissue, and paper towels are the best tools for noses, coughs, and sneezes. Once used, flush them away. Don’t save them throughout the day, you’re just spreading the virus more. Use common sense on garbage waste, but err on the side of caution. The environment can live through this temporary use of paper products.

    Please follow these simple guidelines, and prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. Keep in mind that if you have to quarantine yourself, you need to have stocked up on survival necessities ahead of time.

     

What Are Some Examples of Marine Survival Gear?

If you are thinking about marine survival gear then you’re probably pondering over the safety of your upcoming sea voyage. Better safe than sorry! Since most marine survival items can be stored in a bag or box, there’s no sense in disregarding these important items that could very well save a person’s life. What is some of the most commonly recommended marine survival gear for boaters?

Let’s start with a life vest, possibly the most important item you can carry, as this can prevent a person from drowning if he or she were tossed overboard. Keep in mind that some survival items can actually be packed into life vest pockets. You can also use pants or shirt pockets for extra room if you run out of space in the survival kit. The survival kit itself should have the ability to float, open or close, just in case you drop it. One novel invention in marine survival gear is a floatable kit with a long poly line and clip, so that it can attach to other survivors or perhaps a raft.

A waterproof match case may prove helpful as well as bottle of water disinfectant tabs inside a waterproof container and storage bags for water. Other items of note include signal mirrors, an emergency whistle to communicate with others, and a fire-starter kit. When it comes to batteries, you want to bring backups for all your electronic devices, including AA battery gadgets (like flashlights or long lasting chemical light sticks) as well as smaller batteries for watches or GPS systems. Knives are always an important item in marine survival gear, so find a long knife at least six inches, as well as tool kit and perhaps a knife sharpener. Make sure to plan on bringing a saw for more intensive cutting, as well as some needle nose grips for pulling.

If you are fishing then bring along a fishing kit and make sure you have plenty of hooks, flies, swivels, lines, safety pins, razors, spinners, spoons and sewing needles. You might also want to bring along an aluminum case for storage and cloth tape. You definitely don’t want to run out of fishing equipment just a few hours into your expedition! Special fishing equipment might also be necessary for your trip, depending on where you will be located. Just to be safe bring along additional fishing marine survival gear like a snare wire, spear head and net.

Non-electronic items will still prove valuable in an emergency. Bring a poncho to protect yourself from rain and water, a hat with a neck flap, anti UV sun glasses, waterproof sunscreen, lip balm, and insect repellant. Bring an extra blanket in case you get cold, along with extra bags, a waterproof notebook and “space” pen. (It writes upside down!)

Last but not least in planning your marine survival gear, you want to take a survival manual so you can remain calm in an emergency. Also be sure to take along plenty of food, water and medication to sustain you in the event of hunger, thirst, injury, or motion sickness. For more information on what marine survival gear you need, look up marine retail stores online.

BoaterSupply.com Provides Expert opinions and reviews to help you Compare marine electronics and marine survival gear.

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The H1N1, or swine flu, is fast becoming the pandemic everyone feared it wouldA large percentage of the population are not following the suggested hygienic guidelines allowing the virus to spread at an alarming rate. This is leading to the rapid spread of the flu and bringing about the predicted pandemic situation we are currently experiencing.

Health officials are concerned about the behavior of the H1N1 virus. This is a new strain of virus that most of the population has not been in contact with, leaving them without the antibodies needed to fight off the virus. Another alarming behavior with this strain is the fact that the virus continued to spread through the summer in United States, a season usually associated with little to no flu activity. Physicians are worried about the normal flu season when children are back in school and temperatures are low, allowing for increased flu activity.

While there are plenty of seasonal flu vaccines, we are just now getting some doses of the H1N1 vaccine, leaving a large majority of the population at risk for H1N1.

Work Together To Stop The Spread Of H1N1
© Jorge Casais – Fotolia.com

Without wide spread vaccination, all we can do is follow the accepted hygienic guidelines to fight the spread of the swine flu. This is were you come in, this where everyone needs to cooperate to stop the spread of the virus.

We all have a personal and community duty to stop this virus. It is irresponsible to ignore the simple measures that can help stop this pandemic. Ignoring these guidelines will not only cause you to get sick, it will also cause society to get sick. Even if someone doesn’t care about their own health, they need to follow the simple rules for society’s sake. In this modern world with community transportation and global airline flights, the flu can spread literally overnight around the world.

Try as hard as you can to stay out of crowded places. Always wash your hands as often as possible. Cover your mouth with a napkin when you cough, or sneeze. If you cannot find something to cough, or sneeze into, use the sleeve of your shirt, or jacket. If you have any symptoms of the flu, stay home. If you live with your family, or others, try to isolate yourself to one room of your home. Please show your children the proper way to cough, or sneeze. Teach your children how to properly was their hands, make it fun, tell them to sing the Happy Birthday song while they scrub their hands and not to stop until the song is over. These are such small things to do, and so easy to follow.

With these simple measures this virus can be stopped if EVERYONE follows these simple guidelines.

Can We Live Without Fossil Fuels?

Can we survive without fossil fuels? Absolutely! Not only can we survive, we can prosper. When we use fossil fuel for energy, we also produce CO2. This is the major contributor to global warming. By products produced when oil is refined are disposed of because they are toxic and unusable. If these chemicals make their way into the environment the effects can be catastrophic.

Harm to humans can come in the form of fatal illness. Most toxins can be directly attributed in various forms of cancer. If we continue to allow the production of chemicals that we know are going to be harmful to our communities, we are responsible for the lives that are affected.

The solution to the problem is so simple, why didn’t we think of it sooner? The truth of the matter is, we did.

We have known about solar and wind energy for centuries. We have gotten away from these clean energy sources in the pursuit of oil. Now that we are aware of the dangers associated with the production of fossil fuel, we are looking back to cleaner energy sources.

When we decide to totally make to switch back to solar and wind energy for our electricity needs, we will begin to see a healthier environment. We will discover that we can live comfortably with out the need for fossil fuels. We will also find that we feel better when we eliminate toxins from the air we breath in our own homes.

The time is ripe to make the switch. It has never been more affordable and accessible for home owners to move from oil and gas to solar power.

Sandra Englander is passionate and dedicated to self sufficiency in the home. She is a keen promoter of quality, easy to use DIY products. For more valuable information visit: http://www.earthforenergyefficiency.com

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Survival seed banks have become increasingly popular over the last year or so. These are kits with seeds in them that can be saved for a few years that can in many cases grow up to an acre of food in times of need. It’s kind of the ultimate backup plan for a survivalist when it comes to food. But is something like a survival seed bank enough for urban or city survival?

There is nothing wrong with relying on growing food to have food in a time of need or longer term disaster. But you still need something for today if you are in that situation. A survival seed bank will work appropriately assuming that you are plant and start at the right point of the year.

What you need for today is some food stored away that you can actually eat right now. Make sure that you have two weeks or better yet a thirty day supply of food that you can rely on at any point in time.

For fresh greens growing them from your seed bank is an option but also consider using sprouts. Sprouts like alfalfa, broccoli, wheat, and others can be grown in a jar with just water in about four day to a week’s time.

This is a great option because these types of seeds can be stored for a few years as well and don’t required soil and sunlight to grow. This can subsidize your diet with fresh greens when your acre of seeds may not be able to be planted or haven’t yet produced a crop.

Do you have a plan for natural disasters or pandemics?

Click and learn Urban Survival Skills to properly prepare and be ready for these situations.

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