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I am the Safety Coordinator for the Rehabilitation Society of Southwestern Alberta. I am searching for information on pandemic preparedness. I have developed a partial emergency response for our sites, but am hoping to purchase supplies, Alpha Pro Tech respirators to start, that I can make available to our staff and the clients we provide service to. We currently employ + 85 staff, and provide services to over 200 clients with developmental disabilities. I am aware your discount price on this item expires January 18, 2006. I hope to be able to purchase enough respirators, and other emergency supplies, to ensure staff/clients and their families have some protection from the virus. Any product/pricing assistance you could provide to me for our agency would be greatly appreciated. I would also like to subscribe to your Pandemic News publication.
Sincerely,
Michael F.
Hi there,
Thanks for having your very imformative website. I appreciate the information.
I just wanted to add a few things to the list that people will need.
Stock up on a supply of all your medications.
Have a supply of regular cold a flu medications and other over the counter medications.
Also a supply of gastrolyte or pedialite. (when people are sick their electrolytes can get out of whack)
A thermometre + alcohol wipes to clean it after each use.
That's my two cents worth.
Thanks again for your great site.
S.
Bob,
I've just subscribed to your newsletter and I need
some info. URGENTLY. I live in North Central Laos with
my wife & 4 kids. No one seems to be giving much info.
about bird flu to us. The US Embassy doesn't really
tell us anything, I have asked them for info.
repeatedly but they just refer us to the WHO & CDC.
I don't have any face masks, I don't what specific
precautions I should take beyond face masks. Your
newsletter is the first place I have seen concrete
news & a course of action. What is your advice to me,
should I even stay here in Laos?
Please respond asap!
Sincerely,
Mark Miller
Hello, Mark...
What you should be doing depends on several factors.
What size town or city do you live in? Do you live in an apartment building, or do you live in a separate dwelling? Is it a rural setting where people have chickens, ducks and/or geese running around? What kind of medical facilities are there?
Will you be in a position where you can self-quarantine in the event of a pandemic? Or will you be required to venture out among the public?
Immediate steps should involve stocking up on supplies. This would include water, food, medicines, bleach, and other common goods -- enough to last for at least a 3 month period. You should also purchase face masks. If the flu shot is available you should get it.
As you well know, you're very close to the epicenter of bird flu activity. So far the virus doesn't appear to be spreading from human to human, however more and more people are catching it from chickens, increasing the likelihood that the virus may combine with a human flu, recombine and emerge as a new strain which will be able to passed h to h. This is likely to happen either in China, Southeast Asia, or Turkey. You would be very wise to stay in contact with local health practitioners so as to stay abreast of developments.
The only 100% guaranteed strategy for surviving the bird flu, should a pandemic happen, is to avoid coming into contact with the virus. If it can't get at you it can't get in you. If you can manage to quarantine yourself and your family, this is your best protection. We will shortly be posting a page on our website devoted to this strategy.
Why do you keep reassuring us that our Nanomasks are on their way? I ordered mine 17th October and they still have not arrived. Are other people still waiting? Other items from the States, e.g. those other N95 masks you told us about came within 10 days. I am getting very suspicious about Oregon and have spent a lot of money with them for nothing. Should I be worried??
Pat W.
Pat...
When we first started promoting Oregon Digital and their Nanomask back in October, there were many, many people who tried to order but couldn't get the Paypal shopping cart on their website to work. We offered our shopping cart for those customers until OD could come up with a solution. So we had dozens of customers who bought the mask through our website. We, in turn, simply forwarded those orders and the funds to Oregon Digital.
When it became obvious that the supplier was swamped and orders were oupacing supply, our primary concern was with those customers who had ordered from our site. We felt that they were our responsibility because they, in turn, thought they were buying the product from us. So we devoted our efforts toward making sure that these customers received their orders.
Other customers, who bought directly from Oregon Digital -- which I presume includes yourself -- we had no control over, but being in constant contact with John Hart with respect to the situation we felt confident that there was no scam involved. This is why we felt comfortable reassuring you that your order would eventually get fulfilled.
The current situation, as communicated by Oregon Digital yesterday, is that they have a good supply of filters but are currently out of masks which they haven't had for the past week. They are expecting a shipment in this week, and will resume shipments when they arrive.
Of course, having said all this, I can totally understand your anger and dissatisfaction. I, too, would be hopping mad and would be demanding answers. Your options at this point are to 1) demand an immediate refund; or 2) give it another week or two to see whether your order will come. You might even consider sending OD an email requesting your order be filled within the next 5 days OR ELSE refund your purchase price.
I wish you success.
You should be aware of the trully appaling way my order with Oregon Digital for the masks has been handled as I know you recommended this company and John Hart. Needless to say although I paid for these goods in October I still hav not received them. I am attaching below copies of the latest e-mails to/from John Hart which frankly beggar belief. I intend to take the matter up with the US embassy in London and with PayPal UK which is governed by the Financial Services Act. Oregon Digital's behaviour is verging on sharp practice. Regards, Robin Davies
Thanks for the info, Robin.
It's my belief that John is trying to deal with the situation as best he can, but his hands seem to be tied with respect to the paypal thing. Oregon Digital was swamped with orders during October and November but was unable to get inventory from the manufacturer. They kept promising, but never delivered. All distributors were in the same position, but it hit John the hardest because he was receiving the most orders. Paypal froze his account when they found out he had no inventory.
I agree that customer relations were abysmally bad, and perhaps John should have told everyone of the problems he was having with paypal, but I suspect he didn't because he was constantly being promised inventory by Emergency Filtration, and he didn't want everyone to start cancelling their orders when the inventory was in the works. At one point he flew down to their plant in Nevada just to see for himself what the situation was with respect to production.
We got caught in the middle when many of the customers that followed a link from our site to John's were having problems ordering through paypal. We offered the use of our shopping cart for those customers until John could make other arrangements. Although we transferred all of these orders and their payments to John for fulfillment, we ended up with many customers, like yourself, who weren't receiving their orders, except in this case they thought that we were responsible because they ordered from our site using our shopping cart.
Fortunately, our shopping cart withholds a reserve fund to cover chargebacks, so we were able to refund those customers who requested it, and we tried our best to provide regular updates to everyone with respect to the situation, although it was coming from Oregon Digital and wasn't always accurate because he was in turn getting his info from Emergency Filtration.
At some point I think you'll get your money back. I can't see it sitting in paypal's account forever. But I think you should be aggressive in following it up by contacting paypal on as many fronts as you can. It's behemoth company and it might take time to get your situation noticed by the right person.
I'm so glad that you recommended against ordering from Oregon Digital. I
also placed two orders and only received one order. The time and
correspondence in trying to get the second order has been exasperating and I
finally had to let my credit card company take over. I did purchase masks
from 2h Distributors and Reynolds Enterprises and they both sent e-mails
keeping me up on the progress and finally delivered the orders when they
became available. With the Oregon Digital ordeal, I'm wondering if the
nanomask was even a wise investment so I started ordering other N95 mask.
I love your newsletter and appreciate the time and effort you spend on it.
Thanks.
Michael Pottinger
Bob & Julie,
Thanks for the continous updates of breaking news. Just FYI for other subscribers...after 3 months finally did receive nano-masks from Oregon Digital. Also ordered/received Alpha Pro Tech N-95 's with quick turn around time from order to delivery. Stocking up on water and other essentials just in case we will need to 'camp out' in the house for a few months. Hope it doesn't come to this and strain becomes weak when trans mutation happens...better safe than sorry though!
Jim & Linda
Security Proof Your Home
Install dead bolts and peep holes on all of your doors - and keep your doors locked.
Peep holes will not only tell you who's at your door, they will also show whether he/she is wearing a face mask or not. You can keep a supply of masks available for your visitors just outside your door.
Hi,
Just wondering what the difference in N95, P95 and N100 masks is. I bought the nanomask for my family. Is this sufficient or is the P95 better. I really want to do the best I can, but am having a hard time differentiating between all these.
Thanks for your help,
Katheirne B.
Katherine...
N95 masks will filter 95% of all particulates that are greater than .30 microns in size. The N100 masks will filter 99.97%, so theoretically they would be more efficient. The tighter weave, however, makes breathing more difficult, and it's unlikely you need that degree of efficiency since flu viruses attach themselves to moisture droplets that are greater than 30 microns in size. The P95 masks are rated to give you protection from petroleum based sprays.
The Nanomask, although not NIOSH rated, is supposedly more efficient in that it will filter down to .027 microns, plus it is coated with an agent that will eradicate pathogens.
We have coated Nanomasks and Triosyns as well as Alpha Pro Techs for our family. For more dangerous situations we'd wear the coated masks. The Alpha Pro Techs are a great 'wear once and throw away' mask for quick in and out shopping and they're also good for trading and for handing out to visitors.
Hi,
I have a three year old daughter - will any masks fit her?
I plan on going out to my parent's place in the country (B.C) if something happens and will keep us all in pretty much total isolation, I hope.
I am concerned that these N-95 masks you recommend will not fit her properly.
What are your suggestions?
Thanks so much,
Nina
Nina...
Of all the masks we've looked at I think the Alpha Pro Tech is the easiest to fit to a child. It has a metallic strip around the outside that can be molded to the face, thereby sealing off the edges. A bigger problem would likely be training your daughter to wear it...you know how much 3 year olds like to put their fingers in their mouths. Of course, if you're living in the country she shouldn't have to wear it.
I am fortunate in that, I work from home. If I quarentine my family to our home, will that help to keep us protected from the virus? I don't think I really understand how it is passed.
Thank you!
Emily
Yes. Quarantine is the only guaranteed protection. Hopefully you live in a home and not an apartment building that shares a ventilation system with all the other residents.
Keep in mind, however, that you will need to stockpile enough food, supplies, medicines, water, etc. to see your family through approximately 3 months. This takes planning and commitment.
If you get the National Geographic channel, they have been running a series this week on 'Micro Killers' and have had at least 2 programs on the avian flu.
Dear Bob & Julie,
I found your site while browsing the net... I first thought it was a nice site warning people against the Bird Flu..
Well, it is not... You are just scaring people to be able to sell them your face mask.. This is not nice... To get rich you ought to be ethical...
The site is far from reality... I wish you would be...
Taking advantage of people who have no idea about the disease is too bad...
Buick
Buick...
In our opinion, the very real possibility of an avian flu pandemic is the scariest thing that has ever threatened our planet.
Most people have absolutely no idea of the dangers.
In what respect is our site 'far from reality'?
We have attempted to present the facts in a manner that will cause people to sit up and pay attention. We haven't over sensationalized. All of the quotes and information have come from leading virologists and respected news sources.
We are offering people advice on how to properly prepare themselves so that if and when a pandemic strikes, they will have a better than reasonable chance to survive. How is this unethical?
Whether or not we offer products on our site, our advice would be the same. It all boils down to 3 recommendations:
1) Quarantine - first choice and only real guarantee for survival.
2) Face masks - absolutely necessary if you need to be around others.
3) Proper hygiene - clean hands continually throughout the day.
Do you think it would be more ethical if we directed our readers to other sites that sell the products, rather than ourselves?
In order to come up with a face mask that we feel comfortable with, we've had to try and reject many other designs. Most people find it very confusing knowing what to buy and every day we receive many emails thanking us for the service that we're providing.
I'm not sure what to make of your comment that we're taking advantage of people.
How is providing factual information to the dangers of the avian flu and then providing recommendations on how best to survive a possible pandemic construed as 'taking advantage of people'? Do you think we're conning them?
You're probably not aware, but we regularly send out informational brochures, free of charge to anyone requesting them. To date we have sent out thousands, all at our own cost. Believe me when I tell you that we are far from rich.
Hi Bob and Julie.
I was pleased with the Pro-tech masks that I ordered through survivetheflu.com.
The masks form a good sealed fit. After donning the mask, breathing in and out repeatedly after 5 or so minutes, I still didn't experience any fogging on or near my glasses.
Nothing escapes the mask if you do it right.
Also thank you so much for sending the flyers, I've cleared it with lady in the rental office here, to put these out for the apartments. Now I'm trying to get also 100 copies of Bush's letter "My fellow Americans" etc letter and his 'pandemic web page to go with it. Then maybe more people will take notice. I've sent this to you, I'm sure you've seen it already.
But wanted to run this one by you, get another's opinion.
Also, once being a resident of Northern California, I am familiar with QuakeKare.com.
I have the solar/radio light they sell for I think 24.00. It is small enough to put in your backpack if you needed to, a must for everyone's household. Don't let the size fool you, they work, the reception for the radio isn't perfect, but it works. The ER food bars they sell, are also good quality. Also the space thermal blankets, I have a few of these also. They work, much easier to unfold than to fold back into same shape.
For anyone wanting back -pack Trashbags. Try K-mart. In the camping section they have 'Ruffies-on the go trash bags. 25 one gallon bags. In it's own dispenser. Can be used for about anything. The whole package fits in the palm of my hand. Maybe two dollars, but worth it.
The mask that was seen on the Oprah show, now it seems everyone is advertising this mask "as seen on Oprah" etc. I was surprised that everybody didn't have a box of these masks under their chairs, like she usually does for CD's and such. (Oh well, a little bit of humor here on my part.) Even if it is a little off the beaten path.
Thanks again for your site.
God Bless
Deborah H.
Ohio
We received the following letter, and although it seemed somewhat suspicious, we decided to post it in one of our newsletters, along with a caveat explaining that we couldn't vouch for the authenticity of the information. We felt that if it was true, it was too important not to include.
I recently discovered by studying scientific documents that
the bird flue recently killed over one-hundred twenty-one
people in Africa within the last two weeks. Chances of the
pandemic spreading to America show highly probably
possibilities. I have discovered that scientists in Africa
are concerned that the bird flu has already spread from
person to person in some smaller tribes. My colleagues and I
saw your website and urge you to spread the word of these
new discoveries.
Dr. Adam Sene and Dr. Carey Devlin-Drye
Sheridan Scientific Foundation Research Labs, Inc.
(SSFRLI)Sheridan, Oregon
Dear Bob & Julie,
Frankly, I am quite disappointed in your decision to post this e-mail. I think you know the possibility of widespread paranoia as the result of giving credence to unfounded news such as this. The news media of late has made this their habit, and a few times recently it has led to gross misinformation. I thought you were a reputable source for my news on the spread of the bird flu pandemic, but I cannot bring myself to believe information that cannot be proven and to which no one will reply to your queries.
In the future please be more careful about posting such news. I know firsthand the propensity of many in Africa to send worldwide e-mails that are at the very least unfounded and untrue, and at the most, have the potential to spread "news havoc" to an otherwise sane community of news enthusiasts.
Respectfully,
Rita T.
I'm pretty sure that the email you received was a hoax. I could find no
information on those two individuals in Oregon, but the clincher for me is
that the Oregon Secretary of State Corporation Division has no record of the
organization mentioned. At least in California, using "Inc." in the name
requires that the name must be registered with the state.
Other clues: Flu is mis-spelled flue in the first sentence. There are no
scientific documents specifically identified. "...highly probably
possibilities" is incorrect grammar. They ask you to "spread the word"
without saying why spreading the word might be desirable.
Larry
A few years ago I was a teacher in Yamhill County, Oregon where Sheridan is located. Sheridan has a population of about 3500. Their main sources of income are the federal prison and logging. Although it is not impossible there is a scienticfic research lab there, I find it highly unlikely.
Sheridan is not what I would consider a hot spot of scienticfic research.
Having been in Sheridan, I am highly suspicious of this source. I feel pretty confident this is a prank.
Sincerely,
Carol
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