Good home treatment of influenza

The Great Bird Flu Pandemic

It is in the nature of all influenza pandemics to cause widespread illness and death. As during seasonal flu, the vast majority of those sick with pandemic flu will be treated at home by their family members and friends.

This guide was written for people taking care of mild to severely ill influenza patients in their home who have no formal medical training.

A pandemic will last between 12 to 18-months and over that time about half the people on earth will become sick.

Most will be mild to moderately ill, but some will be very sick. This guide will help you take care of these people at home using simple methods and does not rely on prescription drugs, medical equipment, or medical training.

At times during a severe pandemic, hospitals could become full of sick and dying patients, running out of space for new patients. Access to doctors may become limited.

Medical supplies and drugs could be in short supply. If these things happens, people like you with no prior formal medical training may find yourself caring for terribly ill loved ones and friends who under normal circumstances would be treated by the doctor in the hospital.

Home care, while not up to the standards of hospital care, can still be very effective. The simple methods found in this guide are those that have the power to keep patients from dying from the common preventable causes of death from influenza such as dehydration.

What is "good home care" for flu?

Good home care is nine parts common sense and one part simple medical practice. Taking care of someone with flu will be a familiar task for those who have nursed family members back to health in the past as it relies on simple common treatments and techniques.

The Flu Treatment Kit

Providing good care to family members and friends sick with influenza is a task that will be easier with a good supply of select over-the-counter medications, some medical equipment, and a few items from the grocery or hardware store.

These items form the basis of the Flu Treatment Kit (FTK).

The Flu Treatment Kit items for one person

Grocery store items

• Table salt: 1 lb (for making Oral Rehydration Solution, gargle and nasal wash)
• Table sugar: 10 lbs (for making Oral Rehydration Solution)
• Baking soda: 6 oz (for making Oral Rehydration Solution and nasal wash)
• Household bleach, unscented 2 gal (for purifying water and cleaning contaminated items)
• Caffeine containing tea, bags or dry loose: 1 lb (for treatment of respiratory symptoms)
• Two 8 oz plastic baby bottles with rubber nipples (for administering Oral Rehydration Solution to severely ill)
• Two 16 oz plastic squeeze bottles with swivel nozzles (for administering Oral Rehydration Solution to the ill)
• Two Kitchen measuring cups with 500 cc (two cup) capacity (for measuring lots of things)
• One set of kitchen measuring spoons 1/8 tsp up to 1 tbsp (for making oral solutions and dosing)
• Fifty Soda Straws (for administering fluids easier)
• One composition-style notebook (for keeping a medical record on the patient)
• Teakettle (for steam therapy)

FTK Items found at the drug store

• Petroleum jelly 4oz (for lubrication of tubes, suppositories, and skin treatment and protection)
• Cocoa butter, pure 2 oz (for making suppositories and skin treatment and protection)
• An accurate bathroom scale (for weighing)
• Two Electronic thermometers (to measure temperature)
• Automatic blood pressure monitor (to measure blood pressure)
• Humidifier (for increasing the relative humidity of the air breathed by the patient)
• Pill cutter (to make it easier to reduce the dose of medications if desired)
• 1 box of Latex gloves # 100, (to help reduce contamination and spread of the virus and bacteria)

Non-Prescription drugs

• Ibuprofen 200mg (Motrin(R)) # 100 tablets (for treatment of flu symptoms)
• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl(R)) 25mg capsules # 100 (for treatment of flu symptoms)
• Robitussin DM Cough Syrup(R) or its generic equivalent (12 oz) (for treatment of cough)
• Acetaminophen 500mg (Tylenol(R)) # 100 tablets (for treatment of flu symptoms)
• Loperamide 2mg # 100 tables (for diarrhea and abdominal cramps)
• Meclizine 25mg # 100 tablets (for nausea and vomiting)

FTK Items found at the hardware store

• N-95 masks #20 (2boxes) (to reduce diseases spread to and from the patient)
• 50 gallon sturdy plastic garbage container with top (used to store clean water for drinking)

Abbreviations: lb = pound, oz = ounce, gal = gallon, # = number, cc = cubic centimeters, tsp = teaspoon, tbsp = tablespoon, mg = milligrams, hrs = hours

Useful home care medical procedures

Home caregivers will be better able to evaluate and treat their patients by learning a few simple medical procedures.

This includes taking the patient’s vital signs: pulse, blood pressure, temperature, weight, and respiratory rate. Blood pressure is easily measured using an automated blood pressure monitor.

Follow the instructions that come with the device to learn how to use it. The pulse is provided on the blood pressure monitor readout.

It can be measured directly by feeling the pulse at the wrist and counting how many beats pass in 15 seconds and multiplying by 4. Temperature is measured directly with a digital thermometer.

The patient's weight is measured on a scale in the standard manner and is best taken with the patient lightly dressed without shoes and around the same each time each day.

Watching for and counting the breaths taken over a 15 second period and multiplying the count by 4 provides the patient's respiratory rate. "Practice makes perfect" applies to learning and perfecting these skills.

How flu is passed person-to-person

Don't worry about contacting the flu because it will contact you. Almost everyone is vulnerable to a new flu strain.

There is nothing unusual about this; influenza pandemics are a regularly occurring event with one happening on average 3 times each century. Humankind is well prepared to suffer these pandemics and bounce back as we have many times in the past.

Pandemic influenza is so infectious; it is quite natural for the majority of the population to contract the virus before it is brought under control by our body's immune systems.