Survive- The Economic Collapse

by Piero San Giorgio

  Bacterial Infections

  The most common illnesses are caused by bacteria. Bacteria are microorganisms, some of which can lead to infections as they develop in the human body. You cut yourself with a knife while peeling a poorly cleaned fruit: bacteria pass from the skin of the fruit to the knife, then into your wound, finding there a propitious environment for reproduction—you have a little infection. An infection can be identified by a painful red swelling. If the infection gets worse, you may get a fever, experience more serious pain at the level of ganglia (under your arms, in the neck, etc.). Small infections can be treated by disinfecting the wound and applying a plaster or a sterile bandage to keep the wound from coming into contact with other sources of infection. Then you must wait. More serious infections are treated with antibiotics. If you have access to a doctor or pharmacy near your SAB, ask for the most appropriate antibiotic, but otherwise the simplest thing is to have a basic antibiotic on hand—co-amoxicillin. This antibiotic, derived from penicillin, works for 95 percent of common infections. Obviously, if you are allergic to penicillin, avoid using it and ask your doctor what other antibiotic might work for you. Co-amoxicillin is administered in 625 milligram doses, three times a day, for five or six days. Be careful with the dosage in the case of children: they take doses two or three times smaller in proportion to their weight. If the infection is very serious—e.g., a pulmonary infection (pneumonia)—you must go to a higher dose: two or three grams, three times a day, for 10 or 12 days, preferably intravenously.

  Pill-popping should become a thing of the past. First of all, after a crisis, if you have medications at all, they will be a rare commodity, and it is thus best to use them sparingly (and not to treat each and every scratch).

  If you have a normal fever with no signs of inflammation, rest, drink plenty of liquids, and take a little aspirin to relieve any headache.

  If you have a cough, drink water or inhale steam.

  If you have diarrhea, drink plenty of liquids, eat clean, healthy food, and maintain good hygiene.

  For examples like this, antibiotics are not advised unless the illness persists or gets worse. Even in cases of colds and flu, which are spread by viruses, antibiotics will have no effect, so it’s best to save your meds.

  Fungal Infection and Other Parasites

  Other microorganisms that can cause problems are microscopic funguses that parasitize the human body, especially the skin, in order to develop. There are also other parasites such as worms. In all cases, good hygiene and cleanliness is the best solution, and if an infection starts, you will often find the solution thanks to products (many of them natural) mentioned above (and in the bibliography).

  Since you will be doing a lot of walking, take special care about skin conditions of the foot. Even with good hygiene, feet perspire profusely and must be carefully washed and dried, especially between the toes. Foot powder or talcum can be useful. Avoid plastic soles; prefer leather. When possible, wear open sandals to allow air to get to your feet. In the common dressing room or shower of your SAB, wear beach sandals. In general, never go barefoot.

  Viruses

  Viruses are different from bacteria. They are biological entities that use their hosts’ cells to reproduce. Colds, flu, chicken pox, measles, and infectious mononucleosis are examples of relatively common human viral infections. More serious conditions such as AIDS, SARS, bird flu, smallpox, and Ebola are also caused by viruses. The power of a virus to cause illness is described in terms of virulence. Viruses have many different strategies and mechanisms for provoking illnesses. A virus penetrates a specific host cell and takes over its normal functions. At the cellular level, a virus can have various harmful effects: protein synthesis can be disrupted, viral particles can accumulate and cause the death of the host cell, which frees other viral particles and allows the virus to be disseminated. Given that viruses use the host’s cellular machinery to reproduce, it is difficult to eliminate them without killing the host cell. Antiviral medications, however, allow the reproduction of the virus to be disrupted, vaccination lets one resist infection, and various medicines treat viral symptoms. Patients often ask for antibiotics, but these have no effect on viruses. Antibiotics interfere with the constituents or the metabolism of bacteria and thus allow for the treatment of bacterial illness, but not viral illnesses. So how do you protect yourself against a virus? First of all, increase your immunity:

  Stop smoking, since it makes the respiratory system more susceptible to infections and increases the risk of complications.

  Lose weight: extra fat tires the body, especially the heart, and an unbalanced diet weakens the immune system.

  Eliminate all forms of refined sugar from your diet: candy, fast food, sugared drinks with additives, artificial color, and sweeteners.

  Avoid non-organic meats, which are produced industrially (in factories and co-ops).

  Eliminate anxiety. Pray if you are a believer; philosophize; be Zen-like and sure of yourself. Limit your consumption of coffee, tea, and stimulants.

  If a serious, virulent virus seems to be spreading in the population, try not to expose yourself to it. Stay out of the way, avoiding the urban zones principally affected. Avoid public transportation, train stations, airports, and all places people pass through heavily. As a minimal protection, wear a mask and wash your hands with soap often, especially before touching yourself (rubbing your eyes, nose, or other mucous areas). Ideally, wear protective glasses and gloves. In the case of a serious outbreak, this is the time to get into your SAB and not let anyone approach without going through a quarantine—a small building at the end of the garden with its own toilets, for example—for 20 days (typically). You will have to define the quarantine procedure that seems safest to you.

  Finally, learn to identify the symptoms of a viral infection, and if, in spite of all your precautions, you are struck, rest and drink plenty of water. A good drink you can make for yourself is to dilute in one liter of water a half teaspoon of salt, two teaspoons of honey or cane sugar, and half a teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Take aspirin or paracetamol for fevers and pain, and wait for the symptoms to pass. Aspirin is also very useful for moderating the immune system, which can react too strongly and cause the death of the sick person. During the Spanish flu of 1918-1919, the most robust persons died more easily. If you suffer pulmonary congestion, inhale expectorant vapors, which are good to have on hand. Above all, stay by yourself and do not infect others.

  Nuclear, Bacterial, and Chemical Fallout

  First off, you should not panic about the risk of atomic (i.e., nuclear, radioactive), bacteriological, or chemical contaminations. Your SAB will (in all likelihood) not be a target. However, having a Geiger counter on hand to measure radioactivity can be useful. In the case of radioactivity, stay inside, close the windows, and wait for it to rain, as precipitation washes away most radioactive dust. Then, clean the interior of your house. In the case of high radiation (nuclear war, etc.), you must remain inside longer and use your food reserves. In the end, you will eventually have to go outside again and, after having cleaned everything, take the risk of cultivating the earth again and pursuing your outdoor activities. There are really no other solutions, unfortunately.

  In the face of a bacteriological contamination, one must react as for any other bacterial infection: avoid cuts, avoid contamination, avoid touching any corpses with your bare hands, etc.

  Chemical contamination is a very isolated case which should not concern you.

  As a precautionary measure, I advise having one or two ABC protective kits—you can find them cheaply as surplus items from Eastern Bloc countries—along with a gas mask, with two or three spare filters per person.

  Chronic Illnesses

  If you are afflicted by chronic illnesses that require a long period of medication or hospitalization, or if you are suffering from a very serious illness such as cancer, you will have problems that will only be exacerbated by the crisis. You must hope that your illness
is not too serious. In any case, you will have to stockpile appropriate medication for the long term and, if possible, establish your SAB close to a place where the medications you need are produced. Consult your doctor, explain your theoretical scenario, and see what he or she advises. You may not like the response. . . Be sure to stock a lot of pain medication (aspirin, paracetamol, morphine, etc.).

  Natural Problems

  Allergies. If you do not know what you are allergic to, get tested by an allergy specialist. It is better to know beforehand than discovering for yourself the hard way. Then, you must avoid anything that might cause an allergic reaction, especially among antibiotics and food.

  Childbirth. Some experts advise avoiding situations that would require childbirth in an SAB, and to prevent them by instituting a birth-control policy (through condoms and contraceptive pills, if any are left), at least for a time. Even if these measures are taken, you will likely be confronted with “accidents” as well as pregnancies among refugees or neighbors of your SAB. You must be prepared.

  In general, nature is well-designed, and, most of the time, childbirth will be easier than you think. A trained midwife or obstetrician can handle it. Even an inexperienced but resourceful person—if he has been present at just a few births and read a good book (with diagrams) on the subject—can successfully bring a child into this world. That said, when things go wrong, they can go very wrong. In such a case, you must urgently find a doctor or get the mother to the nearest hospital, for the situation can quickly become dangerous for her and her baby.

  If you do not have a midwife or obstetrician in your entourage, to prepare yourself you must read a guide, ask women who have already given birth, and stock the minimum tools and materials: hot water, soap, disinfecting alcohol, cotton, clean bandages, sterilized scissors, flashlight, straw—to blow mucus out of the mouth and nostrils of the newborn—sterilized syringes and needles, gloves, sterilized suturing equipment, two or three hemostats or clamps—to sever the umbilical cord—etc.

  Children. Children frequently contract childhood illnesses (measles, rubella, chickenpox, mumps . . .) and catch slight infections (conjunctivitis), which must be treated with reduced doses (100 to 250 mg according to weight) of the same antibiotics as adults use. To prepare for these eventualities, contact a pediatrician and consult a specialized book on the treatment of illness and infections typical of children and babies. Be sure your children’s vaccinations are up to date and stock up on some vitamin supplements that promote healthy growth (especially A, B1, B2, B12, C, D, iodine and iron) in case of shortage or prolonged isolation. The most important thing for children, in all cases, is to get good nutrition, be clean, and get enough sleep.

  Disabilities. For slight disabilities, which don’t render the person incapable of taking care of himself, it is quite possible that with a little imagination, a good stock of necessities (catheters, replacement parts for wheelchairs, or hearing aids, etc.), and a few specialized medications, a handicapped person can get along quite well for a long while. Even the deaf, blind, and paraplegic will do fine if they have the know-how and caring friends and family in the SAB. Things will be very different, however, for someone suffering a handicapping accident after the economic collapse and after the disappearance of super-specialized medical structures that allow a seriously injured person to be treated, reeducated, and rehabilitated. Once again, prevention is key.

  For the seriously handicapped, the mentally handicapped, the insane, and other persons requiring permanent help, I fear that survival may not be possible. In the course of my numerous trips to Africa, I have never seen persons with such handicaps—African societies, where one’s next meal can’t be taken for granted, eliminated them rapidly. One must hope that care personnel will have the humanity not to abandon these people during a collapse, letting them die of hunger amid their own filth, and that a dignified and painless solution can be embraced at the proper time. Does this sound horrible? It is.

  Aged Persons. Old age is the condition to which we all hope to succumb . . . though not right away! Many bodily functions slow down with age, and many illnesses appear that are quite similar to the chronic ones discussed above. If there are aged persons with you in your SAB, be sure to have large stocks of medications for them. Otherwise, they will suffer or rely on the questionable effectiveness of natural remedies.

  Corpses. Death is a natural stage of life. Today, we have rendered death almost invisible; in a post-collapse scenario, however, death may become ever-present. And however unpleasant it might seem, you must consider the problem of dealing with corpses. More specifically, you must learn the basic precautions in order to protect yourself from the infections or serious illnesses that a corpse can carry. If you must touch a corpse, wear gloves and, if possible, a mask, protective goggles, and an impermeable apron in order to avoid direct contact, especially if you have wounds or injuries. You can sterilize or burn your protective clothing afterwards. Put the corpse in a mortuary bag, if you have any, or in two large garbage bags (60 to 100 liters or more each), which can be taped together. A corpse should be buried or burned within three days (less, if possible) following death. If you bury it, this should be done at a minimum of 30 or 40 meters (100 to 130 feet) from all water sources, dwelling places, or vegetable gardens in order to avoid contamination. The corpse should rest two or three meters (or the proverbial “6 feet”) deep in order to avoid animals tearing it up. Funeral rites can be carried out at that point. Mark the placement of the corpse and note the place and circumstances of death (for the authorities may come and question you some day). After each handling, wash yourself thoroughly.

  Medication and Medical Equipment. Having succinctly reviewed a few of the medical problems you will probably have to face, you must establish a list of medications and medical instruments to have on hand. I would advise you to make two lists: the first will be for one or more first-aid kits you should have on hand, containing the bare minimum needed for treating minor wounds and stabilizing more serious wounds; the second should serve as a real medical field kit, which will become the dispensary of your SAB. It will be important to manage these instruments and stocks of medications in order to avoid using them incongruously or using too many of them. You will find a list of medical instruments and medications in the appendix. You can buy many of them at your local pharmacy. As a matter of discretion, you may want to go to a different pharmacy or spread the purchases across several pharmacies. (A trip to Equatorial Africa is a good pretext for explaining the purchase of such a quantity of materials and medications.) For certain medications, especially antibiotics and morphine, you will need a prescription. There is no miracle solution: either you explain your project to a doctor who is willing to write the necessary prescriptions for you or you must convince your pharmacist.

  In the following table, which I have compiled with the help of doctors at the Cantonal Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland, I have listed some common medical problems and their treatments. Of course, this list is not exhaustive by a long shot. Be sure to verify with your family doctor or pharmacist whether the names given here correspond to the names and brands of the country in which you live (e.g., Imodium is a brand name for a loperamide-based medicine). Common sense—and my lawyer—tell me to advise you not to take any medication without consulting a doctor first!

  Symptom

  Type of medication

  Allergy / Hives

  Antihistamine / Loratadine (Claritin)

  Conjunctivitis

  Aminoglycoside / Tobramycin (as eye drops, ophthalmic ointment, or gel)

  Asthma

  B-Sympathomimetic (Salbutamol) or Glucocoirticoïde (Ciclesonide / Budesonide / Flutacasone)

  Muscle Contracture

  Relaxant / Tizanidine (Zanaflex)

  Constipation

  Bisacodyl

  Diabetes

  Insulin

  Acute Diarrhea

  Loperamide

  Mild Pain

  Paracetamol / Di
clofenac

  Medium Pain

  Tramadol / Buprenorphine / Codeine

  Severe Pain

  Morphine

  Dyspepsia / Gastric and Intestinal Pain

  Omeprazole / Pantoprazole / Ranitidine

  Gout / Acute Monoarthritis

  Ibuprofen / Colchicine / Prednisone

  Hypertension

  Hydrochlorothiazide / Lisinopril / Nifedipine / Enalapril

  Infection

  Co-amoxicillin

  Urinary Tract Infection

  Nitrofurans / Nitrofurantoin

  Skin Infection

  Cephalosporin / Cefuroxime

  Lyme Infection (tick bite)

  Penicillin / Amoxicillin Tetracycline / Doxycycline

  Bacterial Infection (Gastroenteritis)

  Quinolone / Macrolide Norfloxacin / Azithromycin

  Herpes

  Valacivlovir (or Valacyclovir)

  Ear Infection (Otitis)