Comforting thoughts

I wouldn't exactly say that living in China is fraught with danger but I would say that in general it's a lot more scary than living in the USA. I've mentioned in previous posts the challenges of crossing the streets, the awful air & water pollution, and in general the complete lack of safety awareness here. So imagine my chagrin when I checked my emails and saw the following warning from the US Consulate to all expats living in China (I have inserted my own thoughts and comments in bold):

Health professionals are concerned that the continued spread of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus among animals (mainly poultry) in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe (I am not sure why they think North & South America are immune to this...) has the potential to significantly threaten human health. If highly pathogenic avian influenza, such as the H5N1 subtype, mutates and spreads easily from one person to another, influenza could break out globally, and lead to a pandemic. Of course, Shanghai would be the epicenter since there are so many frigging people here, they sell and kill live poultry on the street corners and have no hygiene standards whatsoever.

Private American citizens should be aware that it may not be possible to travel during an outbreak. Governments may close borders suddenly and without advance warning; commercial air, land and sea carriers could curtail or cancel service; and restricting travel may be the best way to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus. Like hell- we'd make live the Von Trapp family and get outta dodge anyway possible. These developments could impede a return to the United States or travel to another country or region. Therefore, Americans who are overseas during a pandemic may need to remain where they are until conditions improve, a situation which could last several months. Lord help me if I was ever stuck here indefinitely.
Private American Citizens Living and/or Working Overseas: Consider local conditions (hmm, not good considering everyone spits and spreads their germs everywhere), and evaluate your ability to maintain adequate supplies of food, water, and medication (damn, this means I need a stock up trip to Carrefour- a place so nasty that it makes Wal-mart look good) should a pandemic result in borders closing or disruptions in international travel. Decide on your optimal location in a pandemic and plan accordingly (I'd have to say my optimal location would be anywhere but here). Ask your doctor in advance about obtaining appropriate medication for treatment if you become ill, keeping in mind it could take many months to develop and produce sufficient quantities of a vaccine during a pandemic (So basically, we are screwed). Remember that U.S. embassies, consulates and military facilities lack the legal authority, capability, and resources to dispense medications, vaccines or medical care to private American citizens overseas (Of course- somebody might try to sue them so they figure they will just let their citizens fend for themselves- nice). If you are a private American citizen (e.g. living, working, touring, studying overseas) you will need to rely on local health care providers (uh-oh)and locally-available medications since U.S. government facilities will not be able to provide medications or treat you (in other words, we will just evacuate our embassy personnel and let you rot where you are).
Plan to Remain in Country: If the WHO declares a pandemic, Americans who are overseas should be prepared to remain in country for an extended period (no, no no- say it isn't true!). You should avoid non-essential travel beyond your home and workplace (are you kidding me? As if we would even bother going to work) and you should limit activities that could expose you to others who may be ill (in other words, become a total shut-in). Based on varying conditions abroad, Americans should prepare contingency plans and emergency supplies (non-perishable food, potable water or water-purification supplies, medication, etc.) for the possibility of remaining in country for at least two and up to twelve weeks (I highly doubt if there were a pandemic that they would have it under control in a matter or weeks- they just didn't want to freak anyone out more than necessary). Visit www.pandemicflu.gov to see examples of comprehensive planning checklists (I've already book marked this as a "favorite" website).
What About During a Pandemic? During a pandemic, people should practice social distancing measures such as teleworking, limiting face-to-face meetings, avoiding crowds, and maintaining a distance of six (6) feet or more from other people (absolutely impossible in this city- the average space distance among people here is 1 foot- this is scientific fact, not just my opinion).

So after getting the above email, I had a 5 minute panic attack, considered phoning Sev's company and asking to come home, googled avian flu for 30 minutes, and promptly started making my survival supply list. But here is my survival secret- if I worried about everything here, I'd already have had a nervous breakdown and be checked into the loony bin. So in the end, like I do with everything I worry about here, I just blew it off and decided it would be a funny blog post to share with my faithful readers. Enjoy.