By the time you read a report it may be outdated. But the most current U.S. government information is at CDC.gov. So far, the Chinese Lunar New Year shares top billing with smoking, seasonal influenza, and raw milk, and the outlook is generally reassuring. Most importantly, the site tells how to contact officials to get reliable diagnostic testing.
Remember that governments have a history of covering up infectious disease dangers, as in the 1918 influenza pandemic, or of exaggerating, as in swine flu scares of 1976 and 2009, and the post-9/11 anthrax panic. Widespread self-isolation is bad for the economy. Or there may be special interests profiting from sales of poorly tested, dangerous vaccines or drugs.
What should the prudent citizen do? “Everyone should have an all-hazards preparedness plan as an insurance policy,” advises Physicians for Civil Defense president Jane M. Orient, M.D. “Many disasters call for shelter-in-place. Do you have what you need to stay home for a couple of weeks?”
“You do not want to be caught in a stampede to obtain food, medicines, or other essentials.”
In case of an epidemic, hospitals will be swamped—with patients who are likely contagious. It may be advisable or necessary to care for sick patients at home. Do you have disposable gloves, masks, batteries, tissues, vitamin C, hand sanitizer, bleach and other disinfecting and cleaning supplies, trash bags, and self-help medical information? Dr. Orient asks.
News from China suggests the time is late:
- The People’s Liberation Army sent 450 medical personnel to Wuhan to help out at local hospitals, which are crammed with patients lying in packed corridors.
- Chinese travel restrictions have grown to encompass more than 50 million people.
- Frightening videos are being taken down.
- Construction workers are reportedly trying to build a 1,000-bed hospital in five days.
For further information, see Doctors for Disaster Preparedness Newsletter, September 2019, and self-help sources recommended in Three Seconds until Midnight by Steven Hatfill, M.D., et al.