Prepping for Viral Outbreaks

Penelope Hoyt

Copyright 2014 by Penelope Hoyt, The Nerdy Survivalist

If you enjoyed this book, make sure to check out these other books by Penelope Hoyt:

City Preppers: How to Build Your Pantry and Develop the Skills You Need to Survive, Even When You Live in an Apartment (Prepper Guides Book 1)

City Preppers: How to Create a Bug Out Bag That Works (Prepper Guides Book 2) 

City Preppers: What to Do During a Power Outage When Your Kids Are Bored (Prepper Guides Book 3) 

Penelope Hoyt is an urban survivalist, homeschool mom, and author of:

The Nerdy Survivalist: How to Protect and Care For Your Family in the Direst of Circumstances 

Prepping Made Easy #3:

Prepping For Viral Outbreaks

Simple Tips to Help you Get Ready
Note: This is a 20-page guide to keeping your family safe during a viral outbreak.

CONTENTS:

Why should I worry about viruses?

What are some things I can do to stay safe?

What should I do if I get a virus?

How should I prepare my family?

How should I react if a virus becomes widespread?

Why should I worry about viruses?

You shouldn’t.

At least not a lot.

Let me explain:

While it’s certainly important to be aware of viruses and illnesses in your community, you shouldn’t become worried about them.

Worrying is incredibly ineffective when it comes to preparing for an outbreak. If you’re worrying about what might happen, you won’t be level-headed enough to appropriately respond to what is happening.

Prepping for Viral Outbreaks is a brief eBook designed to help you start thinking about the possibility of a viral outbreak and what you can do to prepare for such an event. Unlike many prepper books, this isn’t designed to guide you through a post-apocalyptic situation. I’m going to promise you that the electricity is going to shut off or that zombies are going to start running around. What I will do is talk with you about how viruses spread, what you can do to prevent becoming sick, and how to respond if you do get ill.

As with any emergency situation, one of the first things that you need to do is to remember to stay calm. If you overreact, if you panic, and if you become afraid, you’re going to forget something. You’re going to forget how to respond to the situation and you’re going to make mistakes that could be deadly.

Most people make the mistake of hearing something on the news about an epidemic or even a pandemic and then responding in panic. “There’s going to be a pandemic! We need to go to Wal-Mart!” Unfortunately, this isn’t generally the best way to respond. Even if there is an outbreak of a viral illness in your area, running to the store after an illness has begun to spread is one of the worst things that you can do.

Why?

Because many people go to the store even when they’re sick. If you head to the grocery store to pick up a gallon of milk or a case of water, you’re going to be touching things that sick people have touched. Everything from the handle on the freezer door to the shopping cart to the pen on the credit card machine could harbor germs. Instead of panicking and racing to the store, you should instead start to prepare yourself before a viral outbreak occurs in your community. This way, should something actually happen, you’ll be ready to deal with whatever comes your way.

Remember: Don’t panic. Chances are that you can deal with whatever might be coming your way. Stay level headed, try not to respond rashly, and always think about the situation as much as possible before you react to it. When you prepare ahead of time, you’re going to save yourself a lot of stress, anguish, and stress.

What are some things I can do to stay safe?

When you hear about a viral outbreak in your area, it’s normal to feel nervous or scared. Instead of starting to worry, though, keep in mind that there are many ways you can stay safe. Anytime you start to think, “What if X happens?” Instead, ask yourself, “What can I do to get ready in case X happens?”

First off, stay home as much as possible. Of course, you’ll have to go to work and your kids will probably head off to school, but minimize your extracurricular activities during the outbreak. The more time that you spend shopping, hanging out at the park, or even at play dates, the more likely you are to contract an illness, especially if everyone in your area is sick.

You should also change your clothes when you get home. You’d be surprised at just how many germs get on the things that you wear. While it might seem strange when you first implement the habit of changing, you’ll quickly get used to it and you’ll enjoy minimizing the amount of germs that make their way into your home.

Don’t forget to take off your shoes when you get home, as well. Even though it may be difficult to get used to not wearing shoes inside, wearing them is a fast way to track dirt and pollen throughout your home. If it’s easier, consider keeping a pair of slippers or house shoes by the front door that you can slip on when you get home.

Wash your hair on a daily basis. In general, it’s best to wash your hair at night so that you can clear the germs from the day before you go to bed. Doing so will also remove pollen from your hair that may have gotten trapped there during the day. While most people realize that the people around you tend to cough on your clothes or face, not everyone realizes that these germs can also become trapped in your hair. Prepare yourself.

You’ll also need to wash your hands frequently, especially during times when a virus is making the rounds in your community. Most people don’t really consider just how much touching they do between hand-washes that could affect their health or exposure to germs. Have you turned on a light switch that other people touch? Have you touched a doorknob? What about your credit cards? Have you touched books at the public library? The keypad at a Redbox kiosk? Wash your hands.

When you must touch something in public, do your best to use your shirt to open it or grab a paper towel. Some adults even carry a handkerchief or washcloth to use for touching things in public. If you must touch something, avoid wiping your eyes, touching your toes, or rubbing your ears until you have a chance to wash your hands again.

Wearing a mask is something that a lot of people feel uncomfortable with, but that can actually be incredibly beneficial. If there’s a virus in your area and you cannot avoid leaving your home during this time, consider wearing a face mask or even a bandana over your mouth. While it won’t necessarily provide 100% protection, it will greatly reduce your chances of breathing in the virus.

Cough or sneeze into your sleeve, rather your hands. While you ideally won’t be in public when you’re coughing or sneezing, things happen. Try to minimize the amount of germs you’re spreading yourself by avoiding sneezing on your hands, which you use to open doors and shake hands.

What should I do if I get a virus?

Nearly everyone, at some point, is going to contract a virus. This could be anything from influenza to the measles to varicella (chickenpox). Unlike with bacterial infections, viruses cannot be fought with antibiotics. For most viruses, you simply have to work on boosting your immune system and hoping that your body will be able to fight it off. That said, there are a few things you should do if you get a virus.

First off, stay at home. Don’t go to work or school if you’re sick. Don’t go to the PTA meeting. Don’t go to the play date. Stay home and rest. Resting is incredibly important when it comes to fighting off an illness. Don’t worry about conquering the towering pile of laundry or cleaning the dirty dishes. Just focus on relaxing, sleeping, and lying around. Try not to exert yourself or to do anything that’s going to cause stress. If you have children, don’t worry about educational activities or watching too much TV for a few days. If surviving a 3-day Toy Story movie marathon is what it takes for you to recover, so be it.

You should also make sure that you hydrate. This doesn’t mean drink one glass of water, so don’t have a water bottle and then say you’re fine. Drink a lot of water. Drink so much water that you get tired of going to the bathroom. If you can’t stand to drink water, get some flavored water, add your own flavoring, or even add some fruit to your water. Just make sure that you’re drinking plenty of fluids to help your body stay nourished. If you’re throwing up, you may find that a sports drink, such as Gatorade, is helpful.

If you begin to feel uncomfortable or a part of your body hurts, there are a number of ways that you can ease your discomfort, including:

Sucking on a popsicle for a sore throat

Sucking on a cough drop

Eating a spoonful of honey

Taking a warm bath

Putting a warm washcloth on your head

Drinking tea

Eating chicken soup

Taking over-the-counter medications, such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen

Utilizing essential oils, such as lavender, to relieve tension and pain

Taking an oatmeal bath to minimize itching (for chickenpox or measles)

Make sure that you’re sanitizing common areas of your house. If you’re too sick to get up, have a family member or friend help you clean up. Spray Lysol or DoTerra’s OnGuard on your doorknobs, sink faucets, and light switches. While cleaning doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, it can help reduce the spread of the virus to your family members.

When you’re sick, you also need to make sure that you’re aware of how your body is handling the illness. If you’ve been throwing up for more than 24 hours, you pass out, or you cough up blood, it’s time to stop treating yourself at home and get to a hospital. Medical professionals will be able to administer IV fluids and determine what other treatments you may need.

One of the biggest concerns during a widespread viral outbreak is that the hospitals will become overrun and that there won’t be enough doctors to treat everyone. If this happens, you’ll need to use your judgment on whether you want to risk heading to the hospital or if you want to stay at home and try to weather the storm on your own.

If you’re experiencing a minor viral outbreak in your community that isn’t bad enough to impact your electricity, your cell service, or your normal daily life, chances are that you’ll be okay to head to the hospital. The problem with hospitals is that many times, they’re understaffed when it comes to handling things like pandemics. Just pay attention to the news and to what’s going on in your area and you’ll be fine.

If you do become sick with a virus and are concerned that you’re becoming dehydrated or taking a turn for the worst, an urgent care center can also be a fine place to seek treatment. In addition to urgent care centers, some doctors do make house calls. This is a more expensive option (typically $250-$400 per visit) since doctors who make home visits don’t typically accept insurance carriers, but it can be a good way to get help without leaving your home.

How should I prepare my family?

If you suspect that a viral outbreak is looming in your future, the time to prepare is now. There are many ways that you can help your family get ready for the possibility of a widespread illness. Whether you have a few children or you live on your own, remember that preparing ahead of time is the best way to survive, no matter what you’re facing.

Following a healthy diet should be your first step in preparing your family and loved ones to deal with a virus. While it seems like something that might be unimportant, the truth is that eating the right foods will drastically improve your chances of surviving illnesses. Certain foods actually boost your immunity and make your body stronger and better at fighting off viruses.

Foods that boost your immunity:

Oranges

Broccoli

Garlic

Ginger

Red bell peppers

Spinach

Almonds

Blueberries

Raspberries

Mushrooms

Honey

Yogurt

Fish

Even if you can’t eat each of these foods every day, make an effort to include them in your meals on a regular basis. Similarly, avoid things like sugar and caffeine which can weaken your body’s ability to fight off disease.

Another way that you can prepare your family for viral outbreaks is to start building up your prepper pantry. Do you have masks at home? Do you have food on hand? What about diapers? Medications? Cleaning supplies? Tampons? Even if you’re a very relaxed, semi-prepper, you should have enough supplies on hand to deal with a viral outbreak before one occurs. At the very least, you should have enough to live off for 3-7 days without needing to run to the store.

Just a few things you should have on hand before an outbreak occurs are:

Facial masks

Hygiene supplies

First aid supplies

Diapers

Wipes

Lysol or OnGuard (for disinfecting surfaces)

Bottled water

Water purification tablets

NetiPot (for cleaning your sinuses if you get sick)

Allergy or decongestant medication

Cough drops

Honey

Gatorade

Snacks you can eat without cooking

Saltine crackers (for nausea)

7-Up (for nausea)

Emergency phone numbers for your doctor and hospital

Humidifier

Extra batteries

Nasal spray

Cash

During any kind of viral emergency, you aren’t going to want to have to go to the store. After all, that’s where most people will be. Sick people in close quarters is never a good idea, so save yourself some trouble and stress and just stay home. While the above list is a great starting point, you also need to customize it to your family. If your son tends to get respiratory viruses, for example, make sure that you have a nebulizer on hand.

Finally, make sure that you talk with your kids about viruses. Explain how they spread, how your child can catch a virus, what he should do to avoid them. Remind your kids to wash their hands, not to share drinks with friends, and to let you know if they begin to feel sick.

You should also reassure your child that even if a serious viral outbreak occurs, that you’ll be there to take care of them and to protect them. Many kids will catch glimpses of the news or hear media reports and become scared. Remind your little ones that you’re preparing now so that even if something bad happens, you’ll be ready to handle it.

How should I react if a virus becomes widespread?

Should a widespread viral outbreak become a reality, you should remember to keep your calm. Even though viruses can be deadly, stressing out or panicking isn’t going to do anything to help you or keep you safe. Take a deep breath, go for a short walk, or take a nap. Calm down, collect your thoughts, and then start getting ready.

The first thing you need to remember is that people around you will panic. People will become scared. They’ll make poor decisions and they’ll act out of character because they’re afraid. Don’t spend a lot of time with your neighbors. Don’t tell people around you that you’re prepared. Don’t talk about your water storage or the extra food you have on hand. While people might make fun of you ahead of time for getting prepared, your door is the first one they’ll be knocking on when things get bad.

Also make sure that you know when it’s time to get out. If you live in the city, you should have a safe place where you can go hole up until things clear up. This is called “bugging out.” Most people bug out to a farm or rural property (that they own – not that they take! Don’t go breaking into someone’s farmhouse.), a house on the edge of the city, or an isolated campground. Essentially, you want to be somewhere that sick people are not.

Also remember that most citizens won’t leave the city until it’s too late or until the area has already been quarantined. If you think that something bad is going to happen or that your city is going to be shut down, leave sooner rather than later.

If you do decide to stay at home during a viral outbreak, try to avoid drawing attention to yourself. Don’t let your neighbors know how many supplies you have or that you’re still there. Don’t go grilling out in the backyard. Don’t let people know that you have something they might want to take, or they might just come take it. Many preppers plan to cover their windows and doors with plastic sheets or shower curtains to further minimize the spread of a virus. If this is something you think you’ll want to do, make sure you stock up on these items now. Otherwise, you may not be able to access the items that you need.

Finally, get creative when it comes to entertaining your kids and keeping them busy. If your community experiences widespread power outages, for example, you’ll need to have books, toys, puzzles, and batteries available. You’ll want flashlights on hand. You’ll want activities you can do that don’t require electricity. You can go on walks, play games at home, or even work on craft projects. Just remember that even during a serious event, your kids are going to get bored and to feel restless. It’s normal. Plan for it so you can avoid the stress of dealing with a bored child at your bug-out location. Even if the world around you is sick and struggling, your toddler is still going to want to play and have fun, so you need to remember that even during an outbreak, the world doesn’t stop turning.