Antiseptic hand wash and gargling solution: preparations to ward off the fluI was glad we weren’t home. I’ve had my share of earthquakes, thank you, and I don’t like them. Not one little bit. But two moderately strong ones that shook Tokyo in August reminded everyone that there are no guarantees against earthquakes. To see this week’s earthquake destruction in Indonesia has only added to the ominous feeling that Tokyoites live with daily. After all, the “big one” has been predicted for years. Scientists say that when it comes (not if), it won’t be a pretty sight. I hope I’m not here, as we weren’t when the earth shook in August.
Naturally, when disaster-management exercises were conducted across the nation as a part of Disaster Preparedness Day (September 1), people took notice. The prediction is that 210,000 people in Tokyo and neighboring areas will be injured if a very strong quake hits—and this estimate says nothing of those who will die.
Although exercises were planned in 30 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, preparedness of another kind took precedence in many regions. Some were battling Typhoon #11, but others were taking precautions against H1N1, the flu strain “born” last spring. Since new flu cases in Japan had reached epidemic proportions by late summer, many government and medical officials feared a dramatic spike in infections as school reopened for second semester. As a result, numerous large public gatherings, including some Disaster Preparedness Day activities, were canceled.
Educational institutions are also wary, conscious that although many schools were closed in the spring to combat the new strain, the disease remained virulent. It was a major concession to the strength of the flu that in many locations opening ceremonies were so scaled down that in some students watched on individual classroom monitors rather than all gathering in an auditorium or gymnasium. If the threat continues, upcoming school festivals and Sports Days—staples of the fall school calendar—are sure to be affected.
On another front, preparations have been made for an expected shortage of flu vaccines in the event of a wildfire spread of the disease. The Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry has drafted a priority list for who will receive the limited quantities that will be available. The ministry’s basic policy gives priority to 19 million people deemed most at risk. At the top of the list are 1 million medical professionals who must remain healthy in order to help the nation combat this threat. Another 10 million people with chronic diseases like asthma and diabetes are next, and on down the line the plan continues.
Even our church has gotten into making anti-flu contingencies. Anyone with a fever higher than 99.5 degrees is being requested to stay home, whether this means children in the nursery school or congregants on Sundays. Additionally, antiseptic hand wash dispensers will greet all who enter the premises from this week forward.
With all this activity at the forefront of conversations throughout the nation, I’ve thought a lot this week about the subject of preparedness. I can’t help but wonder what it will take for some people to prepare for eternity. The Bible maps out the necessary steps for preparedness, but so many take no notice at all. I’m not a doomsday preacher, but eternity is inevitable for everyone. The question that remains to be answered is this: Who will be prepared?
