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Chances are the next pandemic will start out slow-moving. And there’s a lot we can do to prevent it from turning apocalyptic. For starters, we can listen to public health experts.
- Shore up the systems already in place. The identification in February 2021 of a new outbreak of Ebola in Guinea showed how critical surveillance and reporting are for rapidly responding to and containing infectious disease.
- Prepare the public to do its part. Effective pandemic response requires a clear, consistent voice and an actionable message that reflects best practices based on sound science.
- Get coordinated and practice. Emergency managers and health care leaders have long recognized that a coordinated response by diverse teams is critical for public health emergencies.
- Polish the playbook. After every major disaster response, all of the different groups involved – law enforcement, EMS, fire, emergency management, public health, search and rescue and so on – conduct what are called “after action reviews.”
- They limit news and media exposure. Research suggests that there are two main predictors to how well a person will respond in a crisis (like a pandemic).
- They accept their feelings as normal. Mentally strong individuals accept their feelings as normal because this is a time for both personal trauma and collective trauma.
- They carefully choose the leaders they follow. Mentally strong people follow those who display healthy leadership skills and mental health. Garfin et al.
- They limit social media and exposure. Mentally strong people understand how social media operates and limit their exposure. They know that social media platforms like Facebook are unofficial news channels and deliver news tailored for you (some of it fake) based on your behaviors and preferences gleaned over the last decade.
Dec 13, 2023 · How to Prepare Yourself for a Pandemic. Learn how diseases spread to help protect yourself and others. Viruses can be spread from person to person, from a non-living object to a person and by people who are infected but don’t have any symptoms. Prepare for the possibility of schools, workplaces and community centers being closed.
- Pick up a book and read for one hour a day. Books have been called the garden of the wise. Each book is a person, waiting to speak to you. Get to know the moral radius of the universe.
- Find a space and call it your own. If you live in a house with family, choose a room to do your reading and working and relaxing, away from others. Family bonding is great, but you need to be able to separate.
- Limit the news. Limit television news to one hour daily, and that excludes lengthy presidential press conferences as well as hour-long cable news opinion shows.
- Limit social media and personal email. Every morning at the same time, sit down and do your personal email and social media. One hour each is plenty. The rest of the day, don’t look at your phone for social media and don’t check email.
Jun 2, 2022 · Applying the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic is key to preventing or preparing for the next one. Here’s what public health experts and the public can do to help.
Feb 2, 2021 · Taking a daily walk, running, bodyweight movements, and yoga are all ways to increase your heart rate and improve your mood. There are several free exercise apps and videos online...
