Tuesday, September 23, 2025

#Natlprep 2025: Personal Pandemic Preparedness

 

Note:  September is National Preparedness month. In recognition, each fall I publish a series of new or updated essays on preparing for emergencies. 

#18,882

In light of the escalating global HPAI threat, yesterday South Korea held another major drill (see South Korea: MAFRA Conducts A Preemptive Virtual Quarantine Exercise (CPX), which comes just days after staging a 19-day, Nationwide, Mock-Training Exercise to Prepare for Zoonotic Influenza.

They aren't alone. 
As concerns mount, countries around the world have also begun to purchase varying amounts of pre-pandemic H5 vaccines for their populations (albeit only enough for a tiny fraction of their populations).With the exception of a special release of 20,000 doses of H5N1 vaccine to Finland following their 2023 fur-farm epizootic, these vaccines all reportedly remain stockpiled - or are still in the pipeline - as nations debate under what circumstances they should be used.

Whether these plans - or the vaccines and antivirals being stockpiled - will be adequate or appropriate for the next global health crisis remains to be seen.  As we've seen before, No Pandemic Plan Survives Contact With A Novel Virus.

But having a framework for dealing with a crisis, and running realistic exercises, can be invaluable when the next pandemic strikes.

Most of these pandemic plans are created by - and for - national governments.  What planning may be going on at state/province/or local levels - or for the private sector - is harder to discern. 

But as many people learned to their cost during the last pandemic, it is just as important to be prepared on the individual, family, and neighborhood level. 

Admittedly, the next global health emergency may not come for years. 

We've stood on the precipice with H5N1 before, only to see it's threat recede.  But this time, the H5 virus is more widespread, and affecting a wider range of avian and mammalian hosts, than ever before. 

This time, it feels different. 

And  H5N1 is far from the only threat (see OFID: Viral Families with Pandemic Potential).  We've been blindsided before by emerging diseases, and we'll be blindsided again.

While much of the world (including myself) continues to suffer from varying degrees of PTSD from the last pandemic, there are things we all could - and should - be doing now to prepare for the next global health emergency. 

Sadly, over the past few years much of the public guidance that was once heavily promoted by the CDC and HHS on pandemic preparedness has been expunged from their websites. 

It's as if the first rule of pandemic preparedness in the 2020's is . . . we don't talk about pandemic preparedness.

Buried in the CDC's archives, however, are a number of useful documents, including these from 2017:

In addition to the advice offered in these (and other) guidance documents, I'd like to offer 5 things you can do today to prepare for a possibility of seeing another pandemic sometime in the reasonably near future.

1. Get, and become, a `Flu Buddy'

The first item is one we've discussed often (see Yes, We Have No Pandemic . . . But Line Up A Flu Buddy Anyway). I first fleshed out the idea in a 2008 blog called Lifelines In A Pandemic.

A `Flu Buddy’ is simply someone you can call if you get sick, who will then check on you every day (by phone, social media, or in person), make sure you have the food and medicines you need (including fetching prescriptions if appropriate), help care for you if needed, and who can call for medical help if your condition deteriorates.

Those people who care for others, like single parents, also need to consider who will take care of their dependents if they are sick.

2. Avail yourselves of the vaccines that are available now.

While the evidence is limited, there are some studies suggesting that getting the seasonal flu vaccine may give you some small degree of protection against the H5N1 virus. Even if it doesn't, it may reduce your chances of having a dual infection, which could either be more serious, or even lead to a reassortant virus.

COVID remains a threat, and a dual COVID-flu infection can be worse than either one alone, so if you can get one - keeping current with that vaccine makes sense as well.

Since bacterial co-infections are common with influenza, getting the latest appropriate pneumonia vaccines can also a smart move. In 2023, I also updated my Tetanus shot (Tdap), and those over 75 will want to consider the RSV vaccine.

3. Get a Dr. Checkup, Renew Rx Meds, & Handle any Issues

Last year I underwent a (long overdue) 21-day scalp and face field treatment (Fluorouracil) following skin cancer surgery in 2024. I'll be doing a second treatment this winter. 

It's not how I want to spend the holidays (again), but it seems prudent to take care of as many health issues now that I can.

I also got my Rx meds renewed, and have laid in a stock of any OTC meds I might need.  

4. Stock up on PPEs or other supplies you might need

I went into COVID with an existing supply of N95 masks and gloves, and I refreshed my stocks in 2022, but if you don't already have all the N95/KN95 or other personal protective gear you would want during a pandemic, now is the time buy them.

Once a crisis begins, it is often too late to stock up. And that goes for any preparedness supplies or gear you might desire in an emergency (Hand Sanitizers/OTC meds/etc.)

5. Be prepared to Shelter in Place

If there was one lesson from the opening months of COVID, it is that many of us may elect - or be forced - to stay home, and avoid public places. Supply chains may be compromised, and there may be runs on `necessities' leaving some store shelves bare.

We see this every year before blizzards and hurricanes, and so it makes sense - whenever possible - to keep a stocked pantry, along with the other staples of life. 

Last winter, in The Gift of Preparedness 2024 we looked a number of items that might make life more bearable during an extended `bug-in' situation.
The good news is, much of what you need to do now to prepare for a pandemic would hold you in good stead for any prolonged emergency or disaster. Frankly, there is not much here I wouldn't do to be prepared for hurricanes, blizzards, or earthquakes.

And if we get lucky, and no pandemic (or other emergency) occurs in the near term, I'll count my blessings - and sleep much better at night - knowing I'd done everything I could to be prepared. 

And as a wise man once said:
“Everything you say in advance of a pandemic seems alarmist.  Anything you’ve done after it starts is inadequate." - Michael Leavitt,  Former Secretary of HHS

  

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