| Lee tried to stifle a sneeze but
| |
| | paper waited for hours in front of
|
| couldn't. Invisible to the naked eye, a
| |
| | pharmacies in hope of getting relief.
|
| cloud of almost five thousand
| |
| | Despite clear instructions from health
|
| virus-filled droplets launched into the
| |
| | officials, panic broke out as folk
|
| air at some 150 km/ hour or roughly 100
| |
| | finally fathomed that at best only one
|
| mph. Some passengers in the wide-body
| |
| | third of the population had access to
|
| Airbus frowned. The Hong Kong to London
| |
| | anti-viral drugs. In rural areas and
|
| flight was long and no one wanted to
| |
| | smaller towns, there wasn't any chance at
|
| catch a cold.
| |
| | all.
|
| Lee planned to fill every waking moment
| |
| | The Short-term Havoc
|
| of his stay in London. A concert at the
| |
| | Rumors and half-truths began to circulate
|
| Millennium Dome, dinners at some of the
| |
| | causing public outcry and protests.
|
| finest hotels, shopping in crowded malls
| |
| | Because the protests only helped spread
|
| - "What a chance," Lee thought. All he
| |
| | the flu, quarantines were set in place.
|
| had to concentrate on was a few hours in
| |
| | The public was told to stay at home
|
| front of the International Board. It was
| |
| | indefinitely. Vibrant cities screeched to
|
| his job to present sales trends in China
| |
| | a halt as public transport shut down.
|
| to the bosses who were also winging it
| |
| | Streets stank as garbage piled up. Shops
|
| towards Heathrow, one of the world's
| |
| | were looted and in some cases those
|
| busiest airports. "The global executives
| |
| | caught coughing were stoned. Safety
|
| will get only good news from me," figured
| |
| | services (fire, police, ambulance) were
|
| Lee. "Pity I don't feel better ..."
| |
| | disrupted, fires burned out of control.
|
| The Diagnosis
| |
| | Cross-border travel was curtailed killing
|
| Lee was exhausted. He had a cough,
| |
| | tourism and all international sports
|
| scratchy throat, runny nose and muscle
| |
| | events were cancelled. Food imports were
|
| aches. A fever started but it wasn't
| |
| | banned creating shortages of meat,
|
| until Lee began having difficulties
| |
| | vegetables and wheat. Folk with chronic
|
| breathing that he decided to get help.
| |
| | medical illnesses couldn't get their
|
| Doctors huddled in subdued discussion.
| |
| | medications. Soap and disinfectants -
|
| Experts were rushed in. It was finally
| |
| | perhaps the simplest and most effective
|
| determined that Lee's body was fighting
| |
| | fight against the spread of disease -
|
| strenuously against two viruses. Lee had
| |
| | were in short supply; no one had thought
|
| caught a highly infectious Influenza A
| |
| | to stock-pile soap.
|
| virus - a flu bug. However, at much the
| |
| | The Controversy
|
| same time he had also picked up a second
| |
| | Local governments and health
|
| virus called H5N1. The two viruses had
| |
| | organizations began to squabble over who
|
| mixed their genes and formed a hybrid.
| |
| | had the power to do what. The question
|
| Since this was now a radically new
| |
| | was of legalities: who would control
|
| pathogen, Lee had no immunity to it.
| |
| | distribution of anti-viral drugs and who
|
| Lee was not the only one in this fight.
| |
| | would receive those drugs? Army barracks
|
| Infected passengers from Lee's plane from
| |
| | received attention but prisoners were
|
| Hong Kong had connecting flights to major
| |
| | ignored. Families with pets were labeled
|
| cities in most continents. The global
| |
| | as 'higher risk' groups but no-one knew
|
| executives Lee had addressed at the
| |
| | if these families should receive more
|
| office had also flown home diseased.
| |
| | help or less. As in-fighting became more
|
| Sadly, some of the medical staff where
| |
| | severe, decision processing became more
|
| Lee was diagnosed had also caught it not
| |
| | difficult. Who should give the daily
|
| to mention the crowds Lee had interacted
| |
| | press briefings? Who would organize mass
|
| with at concerts, restaurants and on
| |
| | cremation? Who would facilitate
|
| shopping sprees. The so-called Bird Flu
| |
| | conferences for global medical meetings?
|
| or Avian Influenza had indeed spread its
| |
| | The list grew rapidly.
|
| wings. It was the start of the first flu
| |
| | The Waves
|
| pandemic of the 21st century.
| |
| | The first wave of the pandemic was over
|
| The News
| |
| | in three months time but not the shock.
|
| Had Lee or any of the others known in
| |
| | Bacterial disease such as cholera
|
| time, they would have taken anti-viral
| |
| | multiplied rapidly with catastrophic
|
| drugs hoping to block or at least slow
| |
| | results across Africa and Asia. The
|
| down the replication of the virus. At
| |
| | longer-term, global recession began with
|
| least the severity of some symptoms might
| |
| | the realization that supply-lines,
|
| have been eased not to mention a
| |
| | manufacturing and food-production chains
|
| reduction in the duration of sickness.
| |
| | were desperately weakened through labor
|
| But time had run out - anti-viral
| |
| | loss. Medical facilities were terribly
|
| medication needed to be taken within 48
| |
| | understaffed. As usual, the poor had
|
| hours of the first stages of the disease.
| |
| | little chance of aid at all. And then
|
| It wasn't long before Lee was put on a
| |
| | came the second wave of Avian flu. It
|
| respirator in quarantine. It also wasn't
| |
| | took over a year before the waves of
|
| long before the media found out Lee had
| |
| | sickness and death became controllable.
|
| Bird Flu. The public became nervous. The
| |
| | Lee actually survived it all. Although he
|
| number of flu patients - real or
| |
| | "started" the pandemic, he also helped
|
| imaginary - multiplied dramatically but
| |
| | "end" it. Doctors used his blood to find
|
| nurses and hospital staff were strangely
| |
| | the initial vaccine. Since Lee was also
|
| missing ... using overdue holiday time or
| |
| | now immune, he not only volunteered to
|
| just not showing up for work at all. It
| |
| | help where he could and also founded the
|
| was announced that schools, restaurants,
| |
| | World Association of Sensible Hygiene
|
| and non-essential businesses would be
| |
| | (WASH). More importantly, Lee and others
|
| closed. No deadline was given - no one
| |
| | like him helped disrupted societies
|
| knew for sure how long the measures would
| |
| | regain their faith and hope and love.
|
| have to be in place.
| |
| | Since this was pandemic number 11 in the
|
| The Public Announcement
| |
| | last 300 years, history had taught that
|
| Wisely, the public was advised to stock
| |
| | it was inevitable that individuals and
|
| up on food and water. Newspapers advised
| |
| | communities and countries would bounce
|
| people to stock up on toothpaste, toilet
| |
| | back fairly quickly. But a bitter
|
| paper and treasure (cash). People were
| |
| | question remained. Would Lee and the rest
|
| told to shop at off-peak hours and public
| |
| | of the world be better prepared for the
|
| transport was ordered to run 24 hours per
| |
| | next pandemic? Lee wondered that too as
|
| day. But despite warnings to the
| |
| | he bordered the wide-body Airbus destined
|
| contrary, doctor's offices, hospitals and
| |
| | for Mexico City.
|
| clinics were overrun. Faces masked in
| |
| |
|
