H7N9 is a nasty virus worth worrying about and it is spreading

H7N9 is spreading.

The number of confirmed H7N9 bird flu cases in China increased by four to 108 yesterday. The number of dead rose by one and is now at 22. To defend against this flu that is rapidly spreading in China, the government will be authorizing health authorities to “strongly advise” people who are sick or suspected of being infected with the disease to be hospitalized and to restrict their working. In Taiwan health authorities confirmed the island's first human infection of H7N9 avian flu on Wednesday, involving a 53-year-old Taiwanese man who is believed to have been infected outside Taiwan as he showed symptoms three days after returning from Suzhou City in Mainland China. So far, extensive monitoring of contacts has found little evidence that the virus has spread efficiently between people. Some person-to-person transmission may have occurred but this does not necessarily represent the early stages of a pandemic.

Why Is China's New Bird Flu Spreading?

As new cases of the bird flu H7N9 continue to pop up around China, officals are getting more and more worried that the virus can spread between people or that it will soon develop that ability.

There is no real evidence that a new bird flu strain is spreading easily among people though there are some reports of sporadic cases of the virus spreading to people who have had close contacts with patients, the World Health Organization said Friday.

Bombing Manhunt Has Thousands Of People Trapped

Police Go Door To Door In Boston. The City Is Shut Down.

Thousands of people are trapped in their homes as law enforcement authorities cast a wide net that has virtually shut down Boston amid warnings the suspect was possibly armed with explosives.

Gov. Deval Patrick called on residents in the city and its suburbs to stay inside with their doors locked. After more than 15 hours, police officers in full body armor, carrying automatic weapons had finished about 70% of their massive door-to-door search of the area.

Now this will probably be over soon and only be an inconvenience for most people but it is yet another example of the need to be prepared. Non of the people of Boston were expecting this and I bet a lot of people are wishing they had things they cant get now. I can see people running out of diapers and formula for their babies. People who let their medication run low and are now worried about getting more. People who had very little food in the house who are now thinking they wish they had an extra can of beans.

Prepping is not just about the end of the world. Its also about being prepared for the unexpected small things.

Should You Worry About North Korea

Should you worry about North Korea? Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel says North Korea represents a real and clear danger to US allies and a threat to the United States territory of Guam, the State of Hawaii, and the nation's west coast. Also a new assessment by the Pentagon’s intelligence arm has concluded for the first time, with “moderate confidence,” that North Korea has learned how to make a nuclear weapon small enough to be delivered by a ballistic missile. So should you be worried? Probably a little bit.

Its unlikely North Korea wants war. But all this sabre rattling could lead to a mistake or miscalculation that could have serious consequences. It only takes one trigger happy soldier to start a fight. So we all need to keep an eye on this situation and if you live in range of North Korea's missiles you need to have a plan. And for the rest of us who don't live in range of North Korea's missiles we still could feel the effects of a war in Korea. The world economy is fragile. A war could hurt our economic recovery. Radiation from a blast in Korea would spread around the World in a few days and no amount of radiation is good for you.

So keep an eye on the news and have a plan.


 

China Reports New Bird Flu Death, 2 New Infections

Another person died from a new strain of bird flu in China on Friday, bringing to 11 the number of deaths from the H7N9 virus. Also three cases of H7N9 bird flu infection had been confirmed on Friday in Zhejiang province, bringing the country's total number of infections to 43.
The new virus has caused severe illness in most of the people affected, many fear that if it becomes easily transmissible, it could cause a deadly influenza pandemic, though there has been no indication of that happening.

3D PRINTERS A FUTURE TOOL FOR PREPPERS

A 3D Printed Mag. By Defense Distributed

It looks the the time is fast approaching when a 3D printer will be part of every peppers workshop. I have been following this new technology with great interest and I believe within the next 10 or 20 years they will be so affordable and easy to use that they will be everywhere.

The fellows at http://defensedistributed.com/ are making great progress. They are now printing AK-47 and AR-15 magazines that work really well and they have printed a plastic AR-15 receiver that fired over 500 rounds without breaking. They are still a long way from an entire plastic gun but its still interesting and impressive progress.

A 3D printer would allow a person to print all kinds of useful articles beyond gun parts. Think about all the little plastic parts in all the stuff we have around us. Little parts on out ATV, well pump, radio, flash light, stove. The list is endless.

Now granted electricity to run your printer could be an issue but many peppers already have backup electricity as part of their plans.

So while it may not be time to run out and get a 3D printer just yet. You may want to keep an eye on this exciting new technology.

China kills birds as new flu strain death toll hits 6

Workers dispose of dead birds in China

Authorities in China halted the sale of live fowl and slaughtered all of the poultry at a Shanghai market where the new virus was detected in pigeons being sold for meat. The H7N9 strain of bird flu, has sickened 16 people, many critically, and killed 6.

So far health officials believe people are contracting the virus through direct contact with infected birds and say there has been no evidence that the virus is spreading easily between people. However, scientists are watching closely to see if this new flu poses a substantial risk to public health or could start a global pandemic.