Spring warms up and we get out in the sunshine and clean our own environments. We sweep, we burn twigs and branches, we rake leaves and pile them up or haul them away, the street sweeper sends clouds of dust in the air….in other words—we breathe bird droppings. This has not been ruled out as a vector for spreading H5N1, H5N2 - or other H’s. Of course, this type of spread is not what causes ‘the pandemic’ but the spread of viruses gives them ample opportunities to take advantage. We do know that low pathogenic H5N1 in an environment can become highly pathogenic H5N1 in that same environment. And yet, its the human to human spread that we must prepare for. That will be quick and it will be deadly and no matter how much we prepare, it won’t be enough. But that is not an excuse to not prepare-it is a reason to give it our best effort when preparedness means so much.
What we do also matters how we prepare our communities for a pandemic. Local produce is going to be very important in a pandemic and also with rising fuel costs. Community spirit and a sense of belonging will matter too. A town farmers market would be an excellent resource for a community! A place to be a good steward.
This would also be a wonderful service project for a local civic or church group to provide for the town. Not only would it would increase awareness of pandemics as we explain the necessity for these types of service projects but belonging and community spirit would be increased as well. Providing community service activities matters —the build resilience.
Keeping it all together - what do I have to offer my community during a crisis?
Volunteer!
Filed under: Board of Health, Citizen Response, Community, H5N1, Health, Influenza, Life, Monson MA, Prepare, Public Health, pandemic | Tagged: Behavior, Pandemics, Community Resilience, Monson MA Church, Zonta, Lions Club, Garden Club, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4H
