THE JAKARTA PANDEMIC: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller (Alex Fletcher Book 1)

It's unfortunate that author's of fiction can't use the brands and names that are so familiar to the public - this would make this story so much more realistic and better understood by a lay person. In this case, not using some of the brand names like Tamiflu and drug manufactures, makes the story line a little more difficult to follow but admitedly not sure these brands would want to be part of this story.What's described in this story is exactly what occured in 1918 (the "Spanish Flu" outbreak) was devastating because of the mortality rates and lack of immunity by a large part of the population (the young and otherwise healthy people). Imagine if the mortality rate of a flu outbreak was 10-15% - the impact on the medical community, the people that manage our infrastructure (our power grid, water, gas, sewer, garbage), financial service providers, law enforcement and government would be catastrophic. Worse yet would be a flu outbreak with a long incubation and high mortality rate - the fear and panic by the population would be unprecedented and likely overwhelm our medical systems. For example, all through September 1918 public health officials had seen reports coming out of Boston of a virulent, deadly influenza. In fact, the Philadelphia Bureau of Public Health had issued a bulletin about the so-called Spanish influenza as early as July 1918. Despite the prescience of some, Philadelphia’s health and city officials had failed to even list influenza as a reportable disease, placing the city’s population of nearly two million in grave danger. After only a few weeks, the flue ravished the city and experienced 25,000 - 35,000 deaths (the actual death toll wasn't closely tracked because many died without an reporting), representing nearly 2% of the population in a matter of only a few weeks.With an undergraduate degree in microbiology, I understand the typing of a flu virus and the importance of the flu typing in this story - would have been good to develop this aspect a little more to give the reader a better foundation for this story. Understanding the genetic shift risk in a flu virus is what drives the risk from a virus that can jump from one species (pigs, chickens, birds) to humans, and the difference in virility and mortality rates. There are four types of influenza viruses: A, B, C and D. Human influenza A and B viruses cause seasonal epidemics of disease almost every winter in the United States. The emergence of a new and very different influenza A virus to infect people can cause an influenza pandemic. Influenza type C infections generally cause a mild respiratory illness and are not thought to cause epidemics. Influenza D viruses primarily affect cattle and are not known to infect or cause illness in people.Influenza A viruses are divided into subtypes based on two proteins on the surface of the virus: the hemagglutinin (H) and the neuraminidase (N). There are 18 different hemagglutinin subtypes and 11 different neuraminidase subtypes. (H1 through H18 and N1 through N11 respectively.) Influenza A viruses can be further broken down into different strains. Current subtypes of influenza A viruses found in people are influenza A (H1N1) and influenza A (H3N2) viruses. In the spring of 2009, a new influenza A (H1N1) virus (CDC 2009 H1N1 Flu website) emerged to cause illness in people. This virus was very different from the human influenza A (H1N1) viruses circulating at that time. The new virus caused the first influenza pandemic in more than 40 years. That virus (often called “2009 H1N1”) has now replaced the H1N1 virus that was previously circulating in humans. Influenza B viruses are not divided into subtypes, but can be further broken down into lineages and strains. Currently circulating influenza B viruses belong to one of two lineages: B/Yamagata and B/Victoria.CDC follows an internationally accepted naming convention for influenza viruses. This convention was accepted by WHO in 1979 and published in February 1980 in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization - this is how the author named this flu virus based on the location (Jakarta Flu) and the epicenter of the virus where the virus jumped from animals to humans.Most people are unaware of the the influenza or flu pandemic of 1918 to 1919, the deadliest in modern history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide – about one-third of the planet’s population at the time – and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims. More than 25 percent of the U.S. population became sick, and some 675,000 Americans died during the pandemic. The 1918 flu was first observed in Europe, the U.S. and parts of Asia before swiftly spreading around the world. Surprisingly, many flu victims were young, otherwise healthy adults. At the time, there were no effective drugs or vaccines to treat this killer flu strain or prevent its spread. Today, there are few effective viral drug therapies and only a concoction of flu vaccines that our public health officials believe could be the most prevalent in the flu season. In the U.S., citizens were ordered to wear masks, and schools, theaters and other public places were shuttered. Researchers later discovered what made the 1918 pandemic so deadly, in many victims, the influenza virus had invaded their lungs and caused pneumonia - acute pulmonary distress (APS) that's described by the author. Stock up on some latex gloves, some of the N95 masks now - cost is modest and unlikely to be readily available if there's a pandemic. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends health care workers wear a mask with a respirator, called an N95 mask, to protect against MERS. N95 masks filter out 95 percent of infectious particles, the CDC says (see https://www.amazon.com/3M-1860-Medical-Mask-Count/dp/B000GUP7UC).In health care settings, these masks are individually fitted to the wearer to make sure the fit is tight. But the effectiveness of regular surgical masks against MERS is still up for debate. At least one study found surgical masks to be just as good at stopping influenza as N95 masks are. A head-to-head comparison, published in JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association, found both masks worked equally well in preventing transmission of the flu in a hospital, when the masks were also used with disposable hospital gowns, gloves and other protections.Finally, the portrayal of the breakdown of community, the disparity between neighbors and communities from being under prepared, the anarchy created by those that are not prepared, and the psychology of how people react when faced with deciding if they should make a sacrifice that could impact their family (e.g., sharing their stockpiles with those that are unprepared, defending others and while putting themselves at risk) was well told by the author.Why do I read such apocalyptic fiction - for one reason, I want to be prepared and the story lines, events and decisions offered by the author gave me an opportunity to think about being prepared, with the help and guidance of the good Lord, and I pray each day that I never see or experience what was told in this story, but if faced with such events to have a prepared mind, body and soul to protect my family, friends and community.

Note that some of the negative reviews for this book are pretty laughable.Really makes you wonder about some people.This was a pretty good book.I think most people interested in the genre will like it, or should.Nice to not find any actual typos so far,but it really needed a better Editor (or one at all?)There are some unfortunate and unnecessary issues, most of them logic-based andstory-based that hurt the book, but they are fairly ignorable.Like, as one of a few so far, the guy buying a car load of food, some of itfrozen, and then going inside and kicking off his shoes and having anextended interaction with his wife, and you never hear about unloading,which could have been easily corrected with a few sentences.Things that make you go, "Wait. What?", which is not good for a reading experience.Stupid stuff like that that is completely unnecessary and a minimally decentEditor would have caught and corrected.The writing is okay, or better. Not great, not poor. But possibly above average for indie.It's interesting that in 2013 he basically wrote about the 2019 COVID-19 Pandemicwith fair accuracy, although it's not rocket surgery, but the Jakarta Pandemicis much worse, with 20% fatalities, and therefore things go bad fasterand worse, as you would expect. Therein lies the story with neededsurvival(is-t/m) kicking in. And the main character is an ex-Marine "Prepper", buta nice, caring guy, with a nice wife and two kids. I don't mind this.If I did, I would just go around talking to people in Walmart or in Public.One thing that would have REALLY helped is if he had created a visual image mapof his neighborhood -- that would have made it much more understandable.Textual descriptions just didn't do it and added to confusion.I'm hoping the following books in the series are better, which theyprobably will be, as most Authors become better writers as they write.

The Jakarta Pandemic is a story of a global flu pandemic racing across the world, devastating food supplies, electricity and telephone service, law and order, and medical care.Although the World view is covered the story centers around a small community and one family within that community.Alex Fletcher is an ex marine and is well organized and more than a little paranoid. He has everything all planned as though he has been waiting for the apocalypse all his life but fear and hunger drive other less-prepared people around him to take desperate measures and he tries to stand up and hold his family and the community together against these people.The community may be like many in the US but from somebody in the UK I find the lifestyle way above the average. The houses are big enough to store enough supplies to keep the family going for at least a year, food supplies even firewood plus an armoury to supply an army platoon. UK houses if your lucky might manage a months supply.The story is fully believable though and something that could happen any time, hopefully not in my lifetime.

I actually quite liked this book, but I didn't love it.The theme was a little bit differnet from many of the 'end of the world as we know it' books that are out there at the moment. Basically there is a flu pandemic about to hit and the main character, Alex, appears to have been waiting and planning for just this moment. I did find some of the background here a little much. The guy seemed obsessed that a pandemic was going to hit and had everything all ready in his cellar just in case. Ex-marine boardering on the survivalist! The odd thing I found here was that with all this planning (food, lighting, heating etc) he seemed to have compeletely missed that he lived on a surburban housing estate so had vilch security once society broke down.It was a very singular view, just from Alex and his computer. Many of the characters never really developed. His wife and children lacked any real depth of character and the kids rarely featured - they seemed happy to be reading or watching a DVD as world started to collapse around them. A couple of the neighbours had more rounded characters. The doctor that moved in seemed a bit random, but he clearly needed to have a doctor character in the neighbourhood for the finale!The storyline was good though and kept moving at a good pace. Also there were a couple of little twists that you didn;t expect - like his boss and a couple of heavies coming round. The writer clearly pumped a lot of knowledge into the book too. There really needed to be more meaningful interation from the other characters.

There are already a few reviews here covering so much. Let me first say that I really enjoyed the book. There are so many poor virus novels out there (Don't get me started on zombies [so angry]). So to find a genuine attempt at surviving a possible world changing event this book is great. The scope is very limited and for it works well as that's what I expected. If you want a view of the the world world in these events then you don't get them. This is Alex's story. The book does drag on but each of these events seems only exists to prepare us for seriousness of events to come. I guess some readers needed this. I found it an enjoyable read despite a few minor flaws that I could not put down!The only really bizarre aspect of the book which was written about 2010, and set in 2013 was it reference's to a fictional outbreak in 2008. This really confused me. At first I really believed the author just had their facts wrong about past events in the world but as the novel moved on it become more more event that had just made it up! I can't see any real reason to do this? It just confused me. Why? The described 2013 outbreak is all possible without this fiction? This to me undermined the valid premise of the novel. There is appendix which seems to confirm this.Anybody please correct me if you had a different understanding I really don't get it.

Downloaded after reading some good reviews, but to be honest it did not live up to my expectations. I was suprised just how much detail the author could cram into the book, like what type of water heater, gun or clothing his characters used. Reading became tedious but i stayed with it, only to find much of the same. Its reads more like a survival guide in parts, what to pack and what not to pack in case of emergency break glass approach. The story, is easy to follow there are no twists and turns or scary parts or even gory parts. Its just a read about a Pandemic and how it will eventually effect a small street. Faced with limited resources its a struggle to survive, but the main character being an X Marine knows how to survive and is prepared. Only to be chastised by his community/neighbours when there food/heat/water/innoculations begin to dwindle does it take on a more humanistic picture. sorry but read far better versions of this kind of story. Hence only two stars.....More editing needed and more gore and character definition would of helped.....;(

I absolutely love this book and have read it several times before the pandemic. I learned so much and when we started our pandemic I was ready and prepped.Thankfully no people with guns or taking over people's houses, but a good insight into how to survive!Well written and engaging throughout.