#1224
I've received a number of emails and comments asking for more information on the Readymoms. Obviously, this grassroots movement has sparked a good deal of interest by some of my readers.
Partnered with two members from Flu Wiki, and supported by several other flubies offsite, Readymom & Co. are reportedly knocking them dead in D.C. Their display appears to be a hit with the visitors, and they are talking to a lot of people.
To better follow the exploits of Readymom, SusanC, and BroncoBill at the APHA (American Public Health Assoc.) Expo, you can visit the ReadyMoms Are Taking The Message National! thread on the Flu Wiki.
You'll also find some pictures there, taken by SusanC, that better illustrate their booth and the expo hall.
If you are unfamiliar with the Flu Wiki, or flu forums in general, then you might be surprised that people who don't know each other could decide to meet in Washington D.C., and work together to pull this off. Well, that's what a community does to meet a threat. They work together.
And flu forums are communities.
The Flu Wiki, Flutrackers, PFP, PFI, and others are just as much of a community as your home town. They are comprised of people who have a deep abiding interest in pandemic influenza, and preparing for what they see as a likely crisis. They are cyber-neighbors who work everyday to help one another learn the science, follow the cases, and prepare.
These forums are populated by a wide variety of people, from many walks of life. Soccer Moms, retirees, doctors, scientists, everyday working Joes, Corporate Executives, cops, firefighters, and I even understand they even have a retired paramedic or two that hang around.
Each forum has their own personality, and their own focus. Some are more into the science, other are more into preparation. But they all promote community awareness, and often members are engaged in enhancing their community's understanding of the pandemic threat. This latest foray, at the APHA expo, is just the most public demonstration so far.
Everyone participates because they believe pandemic preparedness is a vital issue. And everyone volunteers their time. No one gets paid.
The Newshounds from all of these forums spend hours each day scouring foreign newspapers, translating from Bahasa, or Chinese, or Arabic reports on bird flu, or other suspicious disease outbreaks. They've immersed themselves into the languages and culture of these countries so as to be better able to understand the nuances of these news reports.
Their work, often unsung, is invaluable to our understanding of the spread of this disease, and will likely give us an early heads-up if, and when, a major outbreak occurs.
I hope that someday the history books will record that Commonground, Theresa42, Dutchy, Treyfish, Hawkeye, Michelle in OK, bgw in MT, and at least a couple of dozen other newshounds have worked tirelessly for months, in some cases for a couple of years, to bring us these translations. My apologies to those names I missed.
Much of what I do in this blog, I couldn't do without them.
Some flu forum members go to local meetings in their own communities, the PTA, or county commission meetings, and voice their concerns. Others hand out flyers, or give local presentations on pandemic influenza. These members also pay for their own transportation, printing costs, and any other expenses involved.
And we shouldn't forget the bloggers, who each day spend hours scouring the news, reading the forums, and condensing what they've learned into essays. We are blessed with a number of excellent bloggers, all taking a slightly different track when covering pandemic issues.
Crof of Crofsblog, Scott at Scott McPherson's Web Presence, the Revere's at Effect Measure, SophiaZoe a A Journey Through the World Of Pandemic Influenza, plus the work of Dr. Grattan Woodson with his home care for influenza manuals, available at The Bird Flu Manual website, are all examples of what individuals can do when they set their minds to it.
As I've written before, these groups are our secret weapon for preparing for a pandemic. While their numbers are small (a couple of thousand), the government would do well to invite them inside the tent, and let them help prepare their communities.
A little financial assistance would go a long way.
If the government really wants their nation to prepare, they have at their disposal an army of the willing, already well versed in the subject.
Many of these folks would jump at the chance to help their communities prepare for a pandemic, or other crisis, but they lack gravitas, and often they are dismissed by their local authorities.
Last June I proposed to the HHS that they give some official recognition to these volunteers, some sort of official standing, so that they could better inform their communities.
It wouldn't take much. A letter of introduction from the office of the Secretary of HHS, or from some other State or Federal Organization, that would get them through the front door and past the secretaries of local officials.
I'm still hopeful that will happen.
Flubies are too valuable of a resource to ignore.
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