Dear fellows, I want to tell a little story of this last week.
My son had a rash in his little armpits and other parts. So his mom took him to the doctor, within walking distance from our subdivision (our SUV is still busted). After the subsequent blood test (according to my wife it was a real spectacle. He is a strong kid and a task force between my wife, the doctor and a nurse was needed to get the blood sample…well at least we know he is able to defend himself.) The lab result (freaking expensive because the reactants are scarce) was salmonella.
I started to worry a lot, as it is logical. That was Thursday. I got immediately into fast-forward mode, and found the money, while I was extremely concerned about the availability of the needed antibiotics. My wife woke up early, and with a neighbor in his car went with the kiddo to the pharmacy. After visiting two pharmacies with negative results, they headed up to a state-owned pharmacy next to the state hospital, controlled by Cubans or party members, who betray the hospital personnel that dares to report malnutrition deaths or similar events. This is happening.
She was finally able to find the medicines on Saturday morning, at a really inflated price, but the neighbor works for an official government, with a flash of his badge she could buy them without the employees giving it a second look.
I emailed a copy of the doctor’s report to Daisy, so she can confirm my history for those who feel the need to do so.
To me, this was a major achievement under the actual circumstances. I used some of the money from your donations, to exchange it for the needed Bolivares to buy the medications, but the important thing to note here is that they were found. And that is not easy in this country.
Forgotten diseases are returning
Recent reports from these last few days have been, for someone who understands the importance of the endemic diseases that had been under control, spreading quickly.
I am talking about serious stuff: Tuberculosis, Diptheria, Leishmaniasis. There have been adults and children who died because of these things. The diseases themselves, under normal conditions can be healed. But without the appropriate medications and proper nutrition, they become deadly.
Leishmaniasis
One of the worst endemic diseases that has been reported (this information arrived via social networking from confirmed, known sources) is Leishmaniasis. This is a parasite to which you should pay a lot of attention. With the lack of proper balanced feeding, a person’s natural defenses get lower, and it is much easier for them to get sick.
Traditionally there were programs all over the country to fumigate and keep the vectors under control. However, the last fumigation was a long time ago and this allowed the vectors to spread themselves again, reaching densely populated areas, and now without any modern medication to contain it.
Rodents, canines, are affected too. The main transmission vector is the mosquito, and their first manifestation is a skin lesion in the place of the bite. There are several forms of the disease, and most of them are deadly. This is a disease associated with the malnourishment, population displacement, poor living conditions, weak immune systems, and a general lack of resources. This is the exact scenario we have been living through and the description of an SHTF situation. It affects the liver and has permanent consequences if not treated properly.
Ehrlichiosis
Another disease we have present in our area is the Ehrlichiosis, a tropical variation of Lyme disease. Fortunately, we could find the antibiotics for this as well, but of course at incredible prices. Thankfully with a 2nd income, it could be obtained. My wife got better after weeks of feeling sick once we knew what it was.
In a funny side note, we had to go to a veterinary lab, as it was the only one in town that was able to do such testing. This gave me floor for a LOT of imaginative, creative jokes to her. Lol.
We used the recipes to buy some extra blisters packs of medication, just in case, for our medicine box will be donated once the family can come with me.
Tuberculosis
Another disease that had an incredible increase is tuberculosis. It is known that tuberculosis is linked to malnutrition (source) and it is becoming increasingly widespread in Venezuela. As it is more or less known, improper nutrition is the main cause of this once-eradicated sickness in Venezuela. The cases were very few, and widely spread, mainly among drug addicts, homeless people, or even patients of psychiatric hospitals. This is a bacteria, and the infection damage is located especially in lungs.
A weakened immune system makes it easy for the disease to take hold. There are a lot of ways to prevent our defenses from getting too low, but proper nutrition is the best prevention. Whole foods, of course, provide more leverage to our immune system than processed foods.
Mosquito-transmitted diseases
Another important and significant increase has been in the mosquito-transmitted diseases. With the main insecticides factories financially strangled, their production is scarce, and the well-known government mafia takes over whatever they can.
Finding a can of insecticide is not easy. This is another item that should be stockpiled. It is not going to lose efficiency. I could afford to buy a fumigation machine, able to provide a clouding of droplets with a very small size, the needed size to float in the air for hours (I don´t remember how many microns, I think about 0.5 or so). It is useful for house fumigation as well as greenhouse or crops, despite being electrical. It does not use a heating element, so it is much more simple to maintain and fix, and this allows to use a wider variety of insecticides that do not need to be burned to remain as a cloud for keeping their effectiveness.
Salmonella
Our recent experience with salmonella last week opened our eyes to how bad sanitation conditions have become. Of course, this is to be expected. There are no cleaning products at affordable prices, and therefore the hygiene decreases significantly, and salmonella is a disease very closely linked to hygiene.
According to my research for this article, salmonella can be transmitted by infected hens, even before teggshellell is formed, and this seemed to us something very likely because the chicken farmers can’t afford the mandatory vaccines or medications for the animals.
Another salmonella infection source is raw poultry. We noticed that in the place we buy our fresh poultry and cheese, these are stored in the same freezer. This is not what we could call ideally sanitary, but it is our first time facing such an illness.
According to our doctor, that same day there were 2 other cases of salmonella before our son. This is alarming, to me. Never had seen even one case, except very rare instances, and suddenly three persons in a row in a doctor’s office?
This is highly suspicious, at a minimum.
What can we do given that we are not regular people but preppers?
Let’s see.
My first thought is, given that the readers are spread worldwide, is research what diseases are endemic to your area. Statiscally speaking, the probability of picking up a disease that is not typical of your region should be low.
Once the hazard your group maybe exposed to is identified, then proceed with the neutralization measures by finding out which medications would be needed if the normal supply is no longer available.
Some prepper-friendly doctor could extend the needed prescriptions, and your stashed medicines would be one of the stuff that should be already in your secluded BOL, under the proper conditions. [Alternatively, if you can’t get those, look for herbal remedies you can create yourself – this book is a reference every prepper should own ~ Daisy]
Given what we have experienced, I would not try to save money on this issue. It will be worth every penny if you need it. Oh, and I don’t work or have any relationship with any medical company other than swallowing their stuff from time to time if needed.
This said, I would calculate, depending on the medical history of the family (for example, urinary infections, bacterial stomach infections like amoebas in my case) and the endemic disease information, then go about stockpiling two complete treatments a year, for each family member.
Other possible treatments could be those for botulism. Some antidote against this toxin should be stockpiled. This is very serious, and the probability of appearing is not because it is endemic, but because of things like decomposing canned food.
Skin burn ointments and other common medications would be needed, too. Our scarcity began about 4 years ago, but mostly because of the inflation. If you have the money, you can find anything you need, even under these conditions.
Therefore, I strongly suggest you find a good, suitable way, optimized for your particular conditions to store wealth.
This is worst case scenario and you may adjust it to your own medical knowledge and location. It would be great to receive comments from people in the know.
Thank you.
I give special thanks to those who have prayed for my family, because your prayers, my fellow preppers, really worked.
I don´t have words to describe how grateful I am for all of you.
We faced this issue, came through the other side almost unharmed, knowing this could have become serious if the medicine were not found, and I am sure your prayers for us were heard…
I don’t have words to thank you. God Bless you all, people!
Jose
When societies break down and we no longer have many of the niceties that we have been used to, you also have the potential to begin seeing other diseases such as: tetanus, dysentery, cholera, typhoid fever, typhus, plague, rabies and assorted other “baddies.”
Cleanliness and vermin control are very important to prevent many of these issues, but when the toilets no longer flush or the garbage is no longer collected, people will often make poor decisions or allow these issues to go unaddressed.
Part of a person’s preparations should be some sort of plan (or at least some thought) for keeping their water free of human waste and keeping their neighborhood free of disease carrying critters.
Jose, I am sorry that your son has fallen ill. I hope he makes a speedy recovery. We are praying for your family.
We were able to proceed fast, and we found the medicines, he already is being treated and that is great, the relief I feel is huge…I guess the exodus and the high price of the medicines have a lot to see with having it found…he is much better now, and without the income from the donations we would have had a hard time, fellows. I will never give thanks enough to those who have sent what they can, it has been a real life saving.
My child could have got much worst if the doctor were not available, and a fast diagnosis had not been done.
Please keep praying, friends, include all the innocent children in Venezuela that can not find medicines, and receive multiplied all the good things we have been offered!.
I’m so glad your son got the medicine he needed. I continue to extend my best wishes to you and your family.
Agreed that sanitation is paramount. When resources are scarce, it becomes more important to keep clean in other ways. Widely separating the place where you excrete and the place where you cook and eat is an ancient principle, worth keeping in mind. Some cultures even have a special pair of “toilet slippers” that they wear when answering Nature’s call, that they don’t wear in any other part of the living area. This helps prevent dirt and grime from spreading. Of course, keeping simple cleaning supplies around is good too, as Daisy has mentioned in the past.
As for the rest, can anyone else see why I worry so much about victim disarmament in the US? Not to mention, the jokes and mockery about us preppers? As more people mock disaster preparedness and write armed citizens off as demented gunbunnies, the more we are all herded into a position of helplessness. That leads down the same road Venezuela has gone.
Venezuelan communist military have always been against civilians using guns, since Hugo arrived to the chair. in 2012 they banned and took our guns (well, at least those of whom willingly gave them away) and the only ones now armed are the GANGS called “colectivos”. And of course, the criminals. Now they shoot officers and military personnel to take THEIR guns. Talking about poetic justice…Listen what I say:
DO NOT.
GIVE.YOUR.WEAPONS.
NEVER.
Appreciated, buddy!..he is much better now and his little stomach seems to be responding well. My wife always washes away the raw poultry with vinegar, to avoid this kind of stuff. But after some “family research” she found out he had been munching bits of fresh cheese for a snack, grabbing a fork and cutting small bits, and that cheese that had been stored in the same freezer in the poultry shop. Perhaps some bacteria left in the surface of the cheese was what affected him. Now she is grilling the cheese in a pan before serving it, just in case, and avoiding to feed him eggs and poultry for some time.
They are going to be there just one more month or so, I think…it depends on how fast his school paperwork is ready, and that could be a problem because there is a lot of government workers that have abandoned their jobs.
BTW I have a theory and I am writing about some similarities I have found with the Tibet Genocide by the Chinese in the 60s…but I would like to have the advisory of an specialist before going down that road.
I can see very clearly why the people in the USA, including some mainstream media this last few years are trying to generate what is called an opinion matrix, surrounding preppers and survivalists. We are screwed because of our lack of self sustainability, and this was used as a massive weapon. No doubt.
God bless you people.
Unfortunately in America, the average American has no idea about proper sanitation. As long as the faucet works, the toilet flushes, they are oblivious as to what goes into keeping water safe, or the safe disposal and treatment of waste water.
I recall some of Daisy’s PR articles, where people were using a river for drinking. And then they started getting sick as some idiot upstream just dumped their waste, or defecated right there in the same river.
While a number of members of the tacti-cool/bunker bunny are of the vehement opinion it will be all Mad Max, daily firefights, TWD, etc. more likely a lot more people will die of sanitation issues than some roving gang of MZBs.
I had a . . . discussion . . . with a tacti-cool, bunker bunny once.
His plan: A years worth of MREs for every family member (him, wife and daughter), 10k rounds of ammo for every fire arm. Life Straws, and Tampons. Make his house look abandoned/looted, put a dead animal, dog or cat, out in the front walk way. Hole up for a year.
So, he is putting a disease producing vector, right there at his front door. The house looks abandoned or looted. Are the windows broken? Screens still intact?
Right.
I asked him about going to the potty.
They would dig a hole in the back corner of the backyard, inside the fence, privacy type.
So, according to The Human Manure Handbook, a person produces approximately 1,200lbs of waste a year. I would wager us Americans produce a few hundred pounds more, but lets stick with 1,200lbs.
A family of 3×1,200lbs = 3600lbs of waste.
That is going to be a big or really deep hole. And all done/dug using a E-tool.
Now, imagine the smell.
Having spent considerable amount of time in some stupid hot and dry places, with limited access to water, I can tell you, you do not need to shower/bathe every day. A camp towel, one of those folding camp bowls, some camp soap, and a little water, and you can give yourself a sponge bath everyday. In my case it was more like every other day.
IF we have some kind of prolonged SHTF event, dont do your business or dump waste in a body of water that could lead to others downstream. Dont even bathe in it. Get a bucket, take a sponge bath, and keep the gray water for other uses.
If you can, make sure all those around you are doing the same.
“This is highly suspicious, at a minimum.”
That’s your conclusion?!? After explaining, paragraph after paragraph, exactly how and why it’s come about?!?!
Paragraphs under every disease listed note MALNUTRITION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There have been numerous reports of food crises, even to the point that Venezuelans have been reported eating not only pets, but zoo animals, and wild animals not normally on the menu, up to and including urban vermin.
And you state that this is “highly suspicious”??
Did you start with that conspiratorial conclusion and then, after filling in the blanks, ignore the filled-in blanks that refuted your conclusion, and keep the conclusion anyway??
That last question is rhetorical.
Dude…well, I will try not to use sarcasm in my next posts. But I can´t promise it though. Most of people understands it…and enjoys it. Lol.
“The lab result (freaking expensive because the reactants are scarce) was salmonella.”
You could imagine it costing much more in America, with it’s greedy corporate model of healthcare.
Back in the olden days our army barracks in basic training had rows of bunk-beds. We use to sleep head to toe meaning the guy in the top bunk had his head over the feet of the guy in the bottom bunk. The guy on the bottom bunk next to the other guy on a bottom bunk would also have his head away from the guy in the bunk next to him. This was done to help prevent the spread of tuberculosis (TB).
Most tuberculosis is spread by droplets. When an infected person coughs most of the droplets have a range of about 3 feet before they fall to the ground or floor. Just thought this was something you might remember if you ever get stuck in a FEMA camp.