Pandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of an infectious disease in different environments, over a large area – different continents at the same time. It’s characterized by low mortality, high infectivity, long period of infectivity, including the asymptomatic period of the disease and lack of natural immunity of the population.
Before
• Keep a minimum of two weeks’ supplies of water and food at home
• Purchase dust/surgical/protective masks, disinfectants, grey soap
• Check your prescription drugs periodically to ensure that you have enough at home
• Keep all medicines close, including painkillers, medicines for the stomach, coughing and colds, electrolyte fluids and vitamins
• Get copies of medical records from doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and other sources and keep them for personal use
• Discuss with family members about what to do if some of you get sick
During
Reduce the spread of germs and prevent infections:
• Avoid people and even the smallest concentrations of people
• If you have a designated target to evacuate outside the city, go there – it’s best to survive an epidemic outside the city where there’re no large concentrations of people
• If you’ve been in an area with an outbreak, quarantine yourself at home for at least 14 days, unless you were advised otherwise
• If you’re sick, stay away from others to protect them from the disease and spreading the virus
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, then throw it away and wash your hands
• Wash your hands very often, dry them with a towel. Don’t use electric hand dryers
• Disinfect hands with liquids
• With your washed hands, don’t touch handles, railings or taps in public toilets
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
• Practice other good health habits. Take care to sleep long enough, be physically active, cope with stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious food
After
• Vent the apartment thoroughly
• Wash the bed linen at 90 degrees Celsius and ventilate the pillows and duvets well on a sunny day or wash them too
• Clean all the clothes you’ve been using recently, your shoes and soles as well
It’s good to know
Types of filtering masks:
Sanitary services and doctors report that masks don’t provide effective protection against airborne viruses or bacteria, but they can help reducing the risk of drip-spreading infections. Experts recommend that masks should be worn by infected people, those tested for infection and all those who come into contact with sick people.
Filtering half-masks are divided into 3 classes with regard to the degree of tightness of the mask (adhesion to the face), the level of protection of the filter, and the permitted duration of use. The three classes of masks are marked with symbols: FFP1, FFP2, FFP3. The individual letters and numbers provide information on the following performance characteristics:
• FF – the facial part of the mask,
• P1, P2, P3 – filter protection level, where the number 3 indicates the highest class
• NR – half mask designed for a single use
• R – half mask designed for repeated use
• D – half mask designed for work in a dusty room (it passed tests for dolomite dust clogging)
Appropriate level of filter protection refers to the effectiveness of filtration.
For P1 it is about 80%, for P2 about 94%, and for P3 about 99%.
How to use a mask?
• Wash your hands thoroughly with a disinfectant – at least water and soap – before applying the mask
• When wearing the mask, carefully cover your mouth and nose and attach the mask in such way that the gaps between your face and the mask are minimal
• Avoid touching the mask while wearing it – if the mask has been touched, it’s essential to wash hands with disinfectant or soapy water
• It’s mandatory to replace the protective mask with a new one when it gets wet
• It’s forbidden to reuse a disposable protective mask
• To remove a mask, grasp it from the back by its attachment – don’t touch the front surface of the mask – and remove it – then discard it in the lockable dustbin
• Wash your hands thoroughly with disinfectant or soapy water
Remember to remove the mask after each direct contact with the sick person and use a new one.