Four ways to prepare for a flu pandemic

It's been almost 40 years since the last flu pandemic swept through the world, killing 34,000 people in the United States and 700,000 worldwide. Disease trackers fear that we are due for another epidemic outbreak - most likely one caused by an avian flu. While there's no reason to believe that such a pandemic is imminent, there are steps that everyone can take to prepare before disaster strikes. Judy Moon, immunization program manager for Visiting Nurse Service Inc., offers the following pointers.