See also: LucasBlog, NPI, BasicsShort, SwineFlu

Join us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flupandemic/

/WhyWeCare?

The World Health Organisation writes about the next influenza pandemic in terms of "when, not if". In the past 300 years there have been around 10 pandemics, 1 in 3 more deadly than the others.

The impact of an influenza pandemic depends on the nature of the disease (transmissibility, severity of illness, number of deaths, ages more affected) and on our preparedness and response as individuals and societies (keep essential services running, minimize disruption).

We can't know when the next pandemic will be, how deadly or how disruptive. But experts agree: preparing will make our chances better. So how do we prepare?

• Theoretically, the best way to prepare fully might be to change the world so that there will be a better kind of globalization, different from what we see now. We want:
• some kind of easily reversible globalization (we can become isolated villages if needed),
• with lots of self-reliance (my disruption is not your disruption),
• the apropriate specialization (yes, we can make vaccines for you),
• networks of help (here's what we need),
• and lots of useful communication (the epidemic is getting closer and what treatment works better?).
• But such long term preparation will take time, quite likely more time than the time before the next pandemic. This is why we also need to prepare partially: do simple important things first. That way:
• Our work as independent thinkers will not be too badly interrupted if the next pandemic comes too soon (remember it's "when, not if"), and
• We will be free to help our communities and the world at large.
• In other words, we need to be simultaneously generous and selfish, starting now.

So it's short term preparation (just in case there's a pandemic soon) and long term preparation (the real effective thing, or so we would imagine).

Can we engage you?

OurViews

Aim and goals

Our main aim is to give our best answer to the question: How can independent thinkers (and others around them) help their communities (including the leaders in their communities) to prepare for a pandemic? In particular, How could "less informed" countries benefit from insights into Flu Pandemic Preparedness?

As part of that, we want to gather questions and answers around:

• What scientists are learning about flu pandemics and What experts think would work in the next flu pandemic. (Hint: increase distance and introduce protection soon and for long enough in order to flatten the curve; learn to take care of each other; and be resilient in the face of worldwide simultaneous disruption). FluPandemic/Science
• How to best communicate the risk, and who can we communicate it to that's most effective. Communication prepandemic, at the onset, and when the pandemic is running. FluPandemic/Communication
• Information: What do our "respiratory networks" look like? Where, who, and how much do we breathe near each other? What are our weakest points? Who cares for whom, and how? What other questions do we need to ask? FluPandemic/HowPeopleInteract
• Community assets: What are the strengths we'll use in the next pandemic? What are our resources? FluPandemic/Assets
• Posibilities: What obvious or innovative aproaches could we use or invent in order to do essential tasks (such as trade food) while we also distance ourselves from each other (or protect our breathing) in order to make it difficult for the virus to be passed on from person to person? How can we treat each other when ill with pandemic flu? How can we produce masks and medicines and move them around? How do we alert our networks with timely information? FluPandemic/Posibilities
• Links to other Endeavors: people in WorkNets are focused on information technology, food stories and many other subjects. How can we work together? FluPandemic/WorkWithOthers

Pages

I want to organise this section better, with links to each "area of questions".

So far, we've started several pages:

• FluPandemic/MultiProngedApproach
• FluPandemic/Mbita
• FluPandemic/Letter
• FluPandemic/Basics
• FluPandemic/Champions
• The more recent (and shorter) FluPandemic/BasicsShort, which may be translated into other languages. This would help us reinforce our human networks so that we (and our networks) are more ready than before.
• FluPandemic/Links
• FluPandemic/CurrentKnowledge (and lack of it)
• FluPandemic/HowAreIndependentThinkersPreparing

• EmergencyLearning
• Emergency communications
• Emergency toolshed
• Emergency currency
• Emergency agriculture
• /Leadership

Volatile comments area

Write here. I'll try to understand, act on it, then delete your comments. For more permanent comments, join our yahoogroup (see above) and write there. Thanks!

AboutThisPage

• WorkNetLeader=LucasGonzalez
• WorkNetLogo=SashaMrkailo/flu.png
• EndeavorLeader=LucasGonzalez
• EndeavorTeam=AndriusKulikauskas
• EndeavorSummary=Prepare the world for a flu pandemic.
• ShopWithUs=Minciu Sodas can organize global teams for emergency response to flu pandemics.