Ridenour's book on avian flu...

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'God save us all' Dr. Ridenour's book on avian flu tells of how to prepare for the worst

 

CHRISTY LATTIN

September 18, 2007

 

Dr. Gary Ridenour, a popular Fallon physician, wants you to be prepared.

 

Twice voted "Best Doctor" by this paper's readers, Ridenour has written a book, "Pandemic," detailing the rippling effects from a potential worldwide pandemic stemming from avian flu and offers suggestions on how to best prepare for the worst.

 

"Because if you are prepared for the worst, whatever less than that can be handled," he writes in his introduction.

 

Ridenour lost both his maternal grandparents in the flu epidemic of 1918 and sees similarities between that pandemic and the threat of one from avian flu.

 

During the past 100 years, three influenza type A viruses have caused pandemics killing scores of people worldwide. All three - the Spanish flu, Asian flu and Hong Kong flu - originated in China where people and animals live in close quarters. Today's population explosion in China of people, pigs and poultry has created conditions optimal for new viruses.

 

Ridenour said the flu has mutated from an animal-to-human sequence to a human-to-human sequence in Sumatra and Turkey.

 

"Now bird flu is no longer if, it's when," Ridenour said. "And we're horribly under-prepared."

 

The doctor's book starts with a primer on viruses and transmission, and then details the lasting effects of the medieval bubonic plague and the 1918 pandemic. Ridenour writes the 1918 avian flu killed at least 50 million people in less than a year, while deaths from World War I only totaled 6 million.

 

He said the country was unprepared for the 1918 pandemic because many doctors and military personnel were serving in Europe when the pandemic struck. The quick-moving virus could strike a person down within one day and move through an entire city in 10 days. Those victims most susceptible were people ages 20 to 40 - an anomaly scientists still struggle to explain.

 

The second half of Ridenour's book details the current situation regarding a pandemic outbreak and offers preparation and survival techniques. He delves into the national strategy for a pandemic, the global vaccine system, treatment of the bird flu and the need for quarantine.

 

One major problem, Ridenour said, is the lack research and availability of a vaccine.

 

"We don't know what it'll look like (the virus) when it goes human to human," he said. He added that even if pharmaceuticals go into production now, there won't be an adequate stockpile for eight to 10 years. However, the government's Project BioShield will help streamline and accelerate a drug's availability to the masses.

 

Perhaps one of the most disturbing effects of a bird flu pandemic is the disruption to infrastructure like electrical service and global economy.

 

"Our demise is going to be our reliance on electricity," Ridenour said. "A majority of people have never slept outside or spent one day without power."

 

The last chapter is a primer on urban survival. In it, Ridenour provides survival contacts for building a survival kit, the "Mormon List for 52 Weeks," which tells families what food and products to buy every week to stockpile supplies.

 

Once the "all clear" is given and the quarantine lifted, Ridenour gives suggestions on how to protect yourself with a face cover and provides a recipe for a chlorine disinfectant solution.

 

"I am not a witch doctor trying to scare you into buying my alternative medicine," Ridenour states in his conclusion. He simply wants people to be prepared if the worst case scenario happens.

 

Ridenour's book, published by Jack Bacon & Company of Reno, will be available within a month at selected stores, on the Internet and at his office. He said the book will retail for about $20, and those who purchase it will be put on survival company mailing lists.

 

(PHOTO CAPTION: Kim Lamb • LVN photo Fallon's Dr. Gary Ridenour has written a book, "Pandemic," which explores the effects of a potential worldwide avian flu pandemic. He compares and contrasts the avian flu to the medieval bubonic plague and the 1918 pandemic, and offers suggestions for long-term survival if the disease strikes close to home.)

 

 

http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/LF/200...80034/-1/REGION