GETTING READY FOR THE PANDEMIC…NO, REALLY!

Okay, I admit, I mock the Doomsday Preppers. I truly believe a lot of them are overwrought and prone to unnecessary paranoia. However, a recent report on the PR Web demonstrates that extreme positions can still result in good ideas.

For example, there’s ContagionSurvival.com. While currently there is an over abundance of survival companies online, Contagion Survival has introduced an “inexpensive pandemic kit that is affordable for an entire family, or even an entire neighborhood.”

While they have a kit with a lot of materials, they introduced one for individuals costing $9.95 and holding some important survival supplies, including:

• Coveralls w/Zipper (blue for adults, white for children)

• Hair Net

• Goggles

• N95 Respirator Mask w/Exhalation Valve

• Latex Gloves 2-pair

• Bio-Hazard Disposal Bag

• PAWS Antimicrobial Handwipes - 2

• Hand Sanitizer Gel Packs - 2

It’s not the be-all and end-all of survival gear, but it is affordable and provides the basics should another pandemic strike. 

“Whether the show scares you or inspires you, ‘Doomsday Preppers’ leaves you with a sense of insecurity that can only be remedied through an active effort in personal preparedness,” says General Manager T. West of ContagionSurvival's parent company FirstAidGlobalWholesale. “Our company has been providing earthquake kits and emergency preparedness supplies for fifteen years, but I never recognized just how vulnerable we would all be during a worldwide pandemic until I became a regular viewer. We’ve already had a major outbreak of Avian Flu in 2003, and the World Health Organization as well as the CDC predict that a devastating worldwide Pandemic is almost inevitable.”

Ok, the forgoing is a sales pitch wrapped in a bit of hysteria. Still, it’s prudent to be prepared.

I’ll leave you with this from the PR Wire story: “According to a recent poll from liveleak.com, 42% have thought about prepping, 42% think that preppers are crazy, while just 18% are avid preppers. The First Aid Global companies are focused on the 42% who have thought about it but haven't done anything yet.”