# 1223
Flubies are highly creative, concerned, and often ready to tackle enormous projects in the interest of promoting pandemic preparedness. Readymom, a well known member of several flu forums, began attending public preparedness venues earlier this year, and has made a splash with her preparedness displays.
This week, with the help of several other members of flu forums, Readymom is hitting the big time. She and her colleagues SusanC and BroncoBill (from the wiki) are in Washington D.C. at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Exposition in Washington, D.C. which runs from November 3rd to the 7th.
This intrepid trio will man a 10x10 booth at this expo through Wednesday, and will highlight ways for every family to become more prepared to deal with emergencies, up to, and including, pandemic flu. Each is paying their own expenses, and volunteers their time and energy to the project.
Some days I'm damn proud to be a flubie. This is one of them.
If you are in Washington and can attend the APHA exposition, take the time to stop and talk to these dedicated activists. Their display is just across from the HHS booth.
The Readymom's mission statement.
We are parents concerned about the potential impact of the next pandemic on children, families, and communities.
We are especially concerned about the following:
1. If a 1918-like pandemic happens today, communities will suffer 20 years of normal child deaths (aged 1-19) in the space of one season.
2. The current H5N1 avian influenza virus is causing human infections with an overall case fatality rate (CFR) of 60%.
3. This CFR rises to 75% for those aged 10-19.
4. H5N1 has to become 30 times (NOT 30%) weaker to match the 2% CFR of the 1918 pandemic.
5. A WHO working group report in 2006 tells us that “the present high lethality could be maintained during a pandemic” caused by H5N1.
We believe parents have a right to be given this information, and be supported to make the decisions that are best for their family.
We believe that failure to assist families to make informed choices will result in severe social disharmony as bereaved parents take their wrath against officials who have failed them.
We believe it is possible to protect our families with adequate implementation of the social distancing measures as specifically recommended by the CDC, especially early and proactive school closure.
We believe these same measures will also make it safe for essential workers to go to work.
We understand that implementation of these measures will require communities to make some tough choices between the cost to the economy and saving lives.
We believe that such choices cannot and should not be made FOR families and communities, only BY them.
We fully agree with the following sentiments expressed by this participant at the CDC Community Mitigation Stakeholders’ Meeting (Atlanta, December 2006).
“The question of how much this will cost is the wrong question. The correct question is WHAT IS THE PRICE WE ARE WILLING TO PAY? I would sacrifice everything I own to save one of my kids - EVERTHING. And I would consider it the best bargain of my life.
