Good points, Trusbx. I also agree that "hunkering down" is the better choice for most people, rather than "going bush".

PeterR, I haven't seen the TV show you are referencing or what they are claiming, but influenza isn't generally something that lingers in the air, wafting through neighborhoods and through cracks in your house to infect you like some poisonous vapor. My apologies if I'm misinterpreting your comments, but it sounds like this is the doomsday scenario you are envisioning, and that just isn't the way influenza generally spreads.

Influenza virus can be suspended in the air on dust particles or aerosolized droplets from coughing and sneezing, but in general, you have to be in relatively close proximity to be in danger of infection. There has been some rethinking about how airborne transmission occurs, in light of SARS, but that's still being investigated. I wouldn't worry about it at all if I were standing outside by myself. So, even if 1918 happened all over again, you could still tend to your garden or let your kids play outside in safety as long as they were by themselves.

Much of this has already been discussed in recent forum threads, but in reality, there isn't a whole lot that regular citizens can do in the face of such a pandemic. That's not a comforting thought, especially if many people start dying, but that's the reality. You can try to minimize contact with other people, especially crowds, be scrupulous about hygiene, try to maintain your health and nutrition, consider alternative work arrangements like telecommuting, store supplies in case of disruptions in utilities and transportation, and for heaven's sake, don't watch TV news if a pandemic starts because it will make you think that humanity was on the verge of dying out regardless of how few people were actually coming down with the disease.

I commend you for making preparations, but for the time being, the risk for a pandemic in the near future is still extremely, extremely low. Store those supplies for any general emergency/disaster. In reality, you and your family are much, much more likely to be killed in a fatal auto accident by a driver who had a few too many Fosters than by a pandemic.