Realistically speaking I don't see any way for preparing against such a pandemic. Regardless of all the technology and communication possibilities of our age there simply won't be enough advance warning for most people, especially those in urban areas.

Also, don't forget the incubation period. Most infections only manifest themselves some time (usually a few days at least) after you've been infected. Which means that you may well be carrying and spreading a highly contagious disease right now without even knowing!

I can easily relate to the first post - for a few days now I have had to care for my family because everybody's caught a bad flu. It is pretty tough having to go to work every day, then take care of all the chores, eventually drive a sick kid to the hospital in the middle of the night... Repeat several times over the past four days and you'll know how I feel. It's only a matter of time before I get sick, too - only I can't afford to as I have some very important obligations at work next week. Really a crapshoot at its finest.

What I've learned over the years is that there is not much you can do about it. Everyone can get sick. You can however take a few precautions which might not prevent infections or diseases per se but at least they will make the recovery that much faster and easier:
- eat well, avoid junk food, strive for a balanced, natural diet
- avoid excessive coffee, alcohol or tobacco consumption
- work out! very important - good physical fitness is extremely important as it makes you more resistant to infections and if you get sick anyway, it probably won't last as long
- get enough sleep and rest, goes for your mental state, too (stress is bad)
- don't take pharmaceutic products, especially antibiotics or painkillers, unless absolutely necessary; your body may get used to them if you overdo it and they won't work when you'll really need it.

I couldn't emphasize the fitness part too much. This year I had Lyme disease. The first round of treatment was ineffective so the symptoms got worse and I had to take IV antibiotics. That treatment itself was tough. If I weren't in a decent shape before it all began I'm sure it would've taken even longer to get back up on my feet again.