Did you hear about the pakistan man from Nassau county who went to his brother's funeral in Pakistan last month? The brother died of H5N1 (Bird Flu). He was part of a cluster of patients where human to human transmission was suspected. The man then flew home through JFK... no one knew about it (CDC, HHS, FEMA, etc). Next day he went to his DR. who called CDC. they isolated the guy and took samples. Thank heaven he was negative. But just as easily he could have been positive and begun spreading the pandemic virus throughout the Tri-state area... Yes, it would have been in CT before anyone knew about it..... and thats the way it may happen.
So that being said, it is wise to prepare for what is coming... here is a link by the US Government asking individuals to take the lead in Pandemic Preparedness.
Take the Lead: Working Together to Prepare Now (http://www.pandemicflu.gov/takethelead/index.html - broken link)
BTW - Our fine state has no Tamiflu for you or your kids. Stop & Shp's Pandemic plans are to close the stores. What are YOU going to tell YOUR kids when they are home from school for 3 months (thats what the "plan" is) and you run out of food?
Pandemic planning is being taken very seriously by all levels of Gov. I have participated with my Town's planning.
Here is a nice graphic presentation from MSNBC on the spread of H5N1
Bird flu time line - Bird Flu - MSNBC.com
and here is the ages affected by H5N1
http://www.wpro.who.int/NR/rdonlyres/FD4AC2FD-B7C8-4A13-A32C-6CF328A0C036/0/S4_1113.jpg (broken link)
Its our kids who are at risk of dying from this virus.
One more interesting site - Pandemic Vaccine Priority Public Dialog
Vaccination Prioritization For Pandemic Influenza
I'd highly recommend stocking up with Freeze dried and dehydrated foods. They last 5-15 years if stored properly.