THE BATTLEFIELD OF LOVE
Episodes 13. Dallas - Isolation Order
I arrived at six in the morning at the hospital trying to find out more about what the government was going to do. Maybe there's a leak about what they're gonna do.
"Layla, you know the real information about Dallas..." Layla has one of the major colonel's children here, she must know more from us.
"Dallas?"
"Yes my family is still there..."
Dallas
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"I think you said they found five sick people there. Dallas is more complex than Norman, isolation will be more difficult there. Oh I really don't know Jen. Many have asked me. But we're also not policy-setters, it's the authority of the president and the federal government. We're just following."
Thas right. We just follow. Fred's flight at 10 a.m. If before that there was no order of isolation, he would have escaped. Four hours to go. I hope he can come back.
"New revised three victims. Hopefully that doesn't keep Dallas isolated like Norman."
"The victim's problem, apparently not three. But more than 10 have fallen ill and are suspected of being victims of his parasitic infection. Unfortunately they have not been able to trace the source of the infection.CDC worked hard to find what caused this outbreak..."
"More than 10...?" As many as his new case? I'm freaking out now. How is it transmitted so quickly.
I can't focus entirely on work, neither can my other friends. In our hearts we pray that this will not get any worse. We monitor the news all the time, fear surrounds us.
I pray he can come back soon. Just four more hours. At 7 I called Fred.
"Where are you?"
"I'm in the airport, I checked in. But I couldn't get into the waiting room and I saw a lot of soldiers standing guard here. They're just watching. My flight's in less than three hours... I hope there's nothing."
"If there's anything, you'll have to tell me right away. If the army is on guard, action will be taken. It's a common procedure to prevent anarchists. He said the detected victims were already over ten people even though it was still announced three people on television."
"What's that bad?"
"Abid the CDC prohibition, do not drink tap water, buy bottled water, do not eat uncooked raw materials, avoid rare steak or unwashed ingredients. Even with fruit you must be careful..." I detail everything I know.
"Yes I know..."
"Alright I should check on the patient with James. I'll call you later." I saw James already coming to the ward. In the morning, he usually comes at eight.
"Doc why are you so early in the morning..."
"My sleep was interrupted with a lot of worrying news. I'm worried about everybody. My brother and I are leaving Dallas this morning. They are making preparations. I urge them to leave the house immediately." His bushy eyebrows seemed to be furrowing in worry. All of us are the same.
"What is the info circulating, I asked Layla he said he had more than ten people suspected of being infected with the virus. Do you know the news..."
"Yes it seems that at night there was a surge of new patients entering the hospital..." So true that news.
"Not at all, they tried all the treatment but could not resist the rate of brain damage created by the parasite. The first patients were clearly no longer saved. The incubation period is very short some patients are even less than 48 hours and already suffer permanent brain damage. One paramedic was bitten and immediately became a sufferer..."
"Give it that..." Delores points her shoulder at James' story. And I also got scared. What if the infection spreads and we are chased by the undead who only live on the instinct to prey like in zombie movies.
Noah comes later, surprised to see his boss has a ward.
"My friends who work at the CDC say they suspect a contaminated water source or food source. The infection is sporadic and unreasonable from LA in the west to Texas in the central region."
"They must quickly find the source of the infection, otherwise we will face the apocalypse because of the zombies." Noah thought the same thing. It was probably like a nightmare coming true.
All of us were glued for a moment.
"Focus all. Our priority now is to make sure our patients can discharge from this fascinity back to their families. If things get worse we might not be able to take care of them here anymore. Although I'm sure this area should be safe. But if panic spreads, everyone will act out of their senses. So let's focus on taking care of our patients now..."
And even more terrible is the assignment there, if conditions worsen.
We worked as usual then. Trying to calm ourselves and our patients ask. We provide a bit of reassuring information for them and for their own health, that the CDC should be able to find a cure soon.
Because in humans before toxoplasmosa gondhii infection can be handled alone by the immune system. Even if toxoplasmosa gondhii about people whose immune system is neilai like AIDS then it will be fatal. And for pregnant women who are in a young pregnancy it is very dangerous for the fetus.
It was already 9.15 CST when the visit was completed. Fred hasn't called yet means he's fine. I'm unceasingly grateful that nothing worrying happened.
And then, there was something on television. Emergency news. Now my heart just feels like it's packed. News from the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. The Health Minister talked about prevention, before he got to the core of it
"Today effective iam 9.30 CST everyone in Dallas will be isolated and not isolated and not given exit clearance unless they have been tested free of the Toxoplasmosa Gondhii type Z variant. This decision has been passed by the President of the United States. The city government, the CDC and the police, the military will work together to implement this isolation.
My feet are limp now. I sat on my bench. Before I finally called Fred. Long before connecting.
"Fred, they've established isolation...."
"I knew. I'll call you back in a panic right now.
Phone disconnected with Fred.
God didn't even give her back to me.
I only asked for half an hour why he couldn't come back to me.