Pandemic UN information!!! important!!!

http://www.un.org/staff/pandemic/

On the UN staff portal you will find important information on the pandemic, things to know, things to do...

You should be prepared for the possibility that in a pandemic many supplies will be limited and mobility will be greatly reduced. Be sure to take the necessary steps to have your affairs in order and plenty of critical supplies on hand (food, water, medication, hygiene products, thermometers)

How do you reduce the chances of SPREADING influenza?

• Don’t share eating utensils and drinking glasses.
• Clean utensils used by sick people or surfaces they touch with warm, soapy water or disinfectant.
  
• Avoid crowded situations that place you in close contact with others.
  
• Don’t smoke. Smoking makes it easier to catch influenza and increases the likelihood of serious complications.
  
• Stay home if sick with a fever or cough.

How do you reduce your risk of CONTRACTING influenza?

• Cover the nose and mouth with the sleeve when cough-ing or sneezing (not with the hand, as that contaminates the hand for touching and spreading organisms further);

• Use a tissue for cleaning/blowing the nose, and dispose of it after use;

• Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing, using a tissue, or touching any surface that may have become contaminated by a prior user. If using a surgical mask, dispose of it carefully after use and wash hands: Wash hands with soap and water (perferable) or clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner; When you wash your hands, wash for at least 20 sec-onds, making sure that all surfaces of hands and fingers are cleaned.

• Become “touch aware”, and avoid touching surfaces that are likely to have been touched by others (door handles, stair railings, etc);

• Avoid handshaking, social kissing, and other social ritu-als that involve touching others.

• Be careful with respiratory secretions when around other people (e.g. coughing and sneezing). If possible, avoid contact with individuals at risk (small children or those with underlying or chronic illnesses) until respiratory symptoms have resolved.

"L'OMS restait mardi après-midi "en phase d'alerte 4", a indiqué son numéro deux, le Dr Keiji Fukuda, en soulignant que "la possibilité" de pandémie "est prise très au sérieux". L'organisation était passé lundi soir de 3 à 4 sur son échelle du niveau d'alerte, qui en compte 6, signifiant "une montée en puissance significative" du risque de pandémie. L'OMS pourrait par exemple "passer à la phase 5" en cas de confirmation de cas avérés endogènes aux Etats-Unis, a précisé un de ses porte-paroles. Un passage à la phase 5, avant-dernier niveau avant la déclaration de la pandémie, signifie que celle-ci est non seulement imminente mais surtout inévitable."
Le Monde, 28.04.2009, Grippe porcine : l'épidémie progresse, la vigilance s'accroît

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