How to Prepare for an Ebola Outbreak

More and more people are starting to believe that a global Ebola pandemic is highly possible and probable, and the simple thought of having to face a virus that kills 50% of its victims is pretty scary. However, those who are prepared for an Ebola outbreak have more chances to survive it, with the ultimate goal being that of not getting the virus in the first place – until a vaccine is available or the virus dies off. In this article, I am going to share with you the ultimate guide on how to prepare for an Ebola Outbreak.

The world won’t be overrun by the Ebola zombies and most likely there will be no worldwide pandemic caused by the Ebola virus, but if you are just like me and you get worried about what might happen if things do turn bad, it’s really important to be prepared. And since being prepared for a potential Ebola outbreak has no downsides (if nothing happens, you won’t remain in an underground cave, eating bugs), there is no reason not to listen to my advice and get ready. So let’s see what to do to prepare for an Ebola outbreak!

how to prepare for ebola pandemic

1. Boost your immune system
All the processed food that we consume daily has resulted in our immune systems being pretty messed up. A strong body has bigger chances at fighting off the Ebola virus on its own and surviving. So start taking supplements to boost your immune system. The basic and easiest thing to do is to start taking multivitamin and multi-mineral supplements, to make sure that your body has the fuel that it needs (like vitamins, including Vitamins B and D that many modern people lack, and minerals like Calcium, magnesium and zinc, among many others). This bottle is cheap, has 500 pills and has all the vitamins and minerals you need to boost your immune system, for example.

Apart from these, there are multiple other herbs and substances that claim to boost the immune system. Usually they cause no harm, so at most they are useless, but if they help, it’s all better. I am personally using Echinacea, as well as the household regulars like Ginger, Cinnamon, Licorice, Oregano and Garlic (start the day with two cloves of garlic, it offers a huge boost to your system!) If you don’t like these suggestions, there are many other herbs considered to boost your immune system. Always do your research and make sure that you buy from trusted sources, like the afore-linked Amazon, otherwise you might end up doing more harm than good.

2. Stock up some food
This is extremely tricky, as we can’t anticipate the magnitude of the potential Ebola outbreak. Will you need supplies for a few days, a few weeks or a few months? Generally, the more you can stock up, the better. I would personally suggest that in this case, you should start with supplies for a couple of weeks for your entire family. Go for foods that last a long time and are easy to store. Don’t rely on filling up your refrigerator and freezer because possible power outages might make those frozen foods useless in a matter of days (although, if the worst predictions are to come true, you’ll still have at least a couple of weeks of electrical power before things get really bad, so it doesn’t hurt to have some frozen things too).

However, you want to stock up on foods that you can store for a long time and don’t need a ton of space. Here is my recommended, minimal list of foods to stock up: rice (White, wild, arborio, jasmine and basmati rice never expire if stored properly in an airtight container), beans (properly stored, they can last up to 30 years), natural honey, cans of your favorite foods that have a long shelf life (a few years, so that you can consume them if nothing bad happens), salt and sugar and spices (they all have an infinite shelf life) and cereals with a long shelf life.

Remember, this is an extremely thin list with foods that will help you survive. You won’t get a balanced meal out of this, you won’t enjoy it, but you will survive. If you want to, you can go a bit more hardcore and vary things up, increase the quantities as much as you can afford and it will be a lot better. But have at least my recommended foods to be better prepared.

3. Stock up some water
Since access to fresh water might be taken away from you, you will need some fresh water. Ideally, you should find a fresh water source nearby because storing water is extremely demanding in terms of space and we need a huge quantity daily to survive. Store as many gallons of water as you can, but try to either create a water collecting source (rain water for example) and learn about filtering water to make it safe to drink. Have in mind that you need 1 gallon of water per person per day. Scary if tap water stops from pouring, right?

4. Stock up some medical supplies
Start with at least one protective suit per family member – ideally more (you can get this one if supplies last – they are sold extremely fast and soon none might be available, so hurry!) Have in mind that my recommended suit doesn’t come with gloves and mask, you will need those too! Also, make sure you have some regular medication in your house. If any of your family members is on a specific medication plan, make sure you have enough for at least a month. Other medicine to get: pain relievers and non-prescription drugs, stomach remedies, cold medicine, anti-diarrheal medicine.

5. Have enough cleaners and toiletries
Make sure you have some alcohol based as well as regular hand sanitizer, toilet paper, isposable wipes, bleach, and spray cleaners, as well as big plastic bags for your garbage.

6. Be mentally prepared for lock-down
IF an Ebola pandemic breaks, you won’t get out of your house and you will enter a complete lock-down. Nobody goes out, nobody comes in. You won’t go to work. You won’t send your kid(s) to school. You won’t go grocery shopping, you will stay inside your house and you have to be mentally prepared for this. Every step you take outside will increase the chances of you getting the virus. Understand that and try to prepare yourself (as well as your family) for a complete lock-down if the bad thing is about to happen.

7. Stash some cash
If a pandemic strikes, most likely prices will skyrocket. People will rush to the stores to buy the stuff they don’t have and banks will soon close. Having some cash on hand could save you from a lot of trouble early on, when you will rush to the nearest general store to stock up on even more provisions. Try to have at least $100 in cash hidden somewhere in your house, easily accessible.

8. Have a plan
This is probably the most important thing, as it also includes all the tips that I have written above. So do have a plan about what you will do if the unexpected happens. Apart from preparing (with the basics listed above or more), you need to plan out a few other things: do you have a place to retreat if things go really bad? Highly populated areas are poor choices if a pandemic starts. Do you have where to run to? Will you do this or you’ll stay locked inside? Have a plan for at least a few months. Being prepared gives you an advantage over everybody else.

Hopefully, a global Ebola pandemic or even a national Ebola outbreak will be out of question. Bad things, things that seem apocalyptic, come and go (remember the avian flu or the swine flu?) and it seems that humanity has what it takes to stop the viruses before they affect too many of us. But being prepared for anything does not hurt. Even an extra bag of rice might mean that you can survive a few more days, which might be just the time you need until the vaccine gets to you. So be prepared!

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