THE BATTLEFIELD OF LOVE
Episode 11's. DEFCON 4 - Infectious Parasites
I think my life is perfect now.
In less than two months I will be attending my first lecture. And Fred was right next to me.
"I'm going to Dallas tomorrow for the official distributor business meeting in about four days. I'll be back by the end of the week."
"Dallas's? Hmm I miss that city, my hometown." I haven't been back to Dallas in a long time since I took nursing. It's been almost seven or eight years maybe.
"You wanna come? Come along, you can take a walk while I attend the conference."
"You know I can't." I smiled at him. Bureaucracy leave is convoluted, you have to castigate a month in advance otherwise you will get a bad assessment of your absence. I am the recipient of the scholarship recommendation.
"Alright, we'll meet again this weekend then. Don't go on a blind date with another doctor or a handsome soldier."
"I'd be interested in trying it." I laughed and teased him.
"Ohh yeah, then you should come."
"Darling, nothing can beat you in my heart. Even in my bed..." Fred grimaced widely, and quickly his kiss grabbed me as his hands drew us closer.
"Heh.. Is that a compliment?" After the kiss stopped taking hold of me. Making my cheek mamanas after getting his gaze can make me misbehave. "And now you're blushing, you're adorable."
"I'm gonna miss you." I replied with a big smile.
"I think I'll try to get home sooner." I'm laughing now.
We are lovebirds who are drunk in love.
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"Said there's a new kind of rabies found in Norman and Las Vegas. There's an emergency notification from CDC¹, we're told to report to them immediately if there's any sign of this." Norman's? It's not too far from Dallas I think it's three hours drive, Norman's still in Texas.
We were all paramedic parts cardiologist collected with rotation for an impromptu briefing by Dr. Richard.
We saw a terrible picture on the television screen. A male patient was unloaded with a strapping jacket and tied to a bed, paled skin, matted hair, drooling drool and giddy red eyes. He tried to move but his movements seemed to be uncontrollable, the person who tried to talk to him from the outside was unbidden but he tried to reach the person?! What is this ?!
"Rabie?" All of us whispered worry. " Is this from an animal bite?"
"They're still doing tests, it's not clear where this came from, it's the first symtom they've recorded in some patients. High body temperature in two days above 39, severe headache, loss of ability to eat, vomiting, skin color becomes grayish, in three days body temperature decreases to 34, pulse slows down, the, losing consciousness but life develops instincts, attacks other humans, likes raw meat?!... His orders were full isolation, restriction of motion. And make sure you don't get in contact with body fluids "We're all silent. Why does it look like a zombie.
"Say I'm wrong but it looks like he's becoming a zombie..."
"There is no other information from the CDC. If symptoms like these are found, the order is quarantine, restraint jacket, if necessary forcefully in a coma, run a complete blood test panel, report to the CDC. The officer will come."
"That's terrible. Why do people lose consciousness like that. Death of part of the brain?" The others immediately had many questions.
Fred's going to Dallas tomorrow, I'm worried. Whether Dallas is safe, Norman city is only a three-hour drive away.
"Has this been on TV, is there a broad warning?"
"No, it's still confidential. We don't know anything but symptoms and if we find them dangerous. We need a full protective gear protocol for this. Maybe it will soon spread if they have given orders to the hospital. This was given at 6AM. It's only been three hours."
"Well, you can disperse, we're away from Norman and LA but stay alert if you find this symptom."
"I'll be careful, after all, it's only been four days. Most of us have a fixed schedule there." Fred's reply made me a little calm.
All right, it's only been four days.
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Two days later I was on duty in the ward. When our pagers all rang. Request a briefing immediately. In 2 shifts.
"I go first Daisy." Me and the other two nurses immediately headed for the personnel briefing room. The others had also arrived and taken their place.
"What's wrong?" I asked someone I knew working in a neurosurgery ward.
"I don't know, it looks like we're all gathered." In front of us was our hospital chief Colonel (Dr.) Erickson Lewis and his deputy Major Colonel (Dr.) Hans Gellman." - Hans Gellman."
"You are gathered for the preparation of emergency situations. There was DEFCON² 4 this morning with regards to the situation in Norman and LA, there were explosions of dozens of rabies patients in these two cities. We'll probably be prepared to support the military operation because we're a base in Texas." We all looked at worry.
"This initial assumption is caused by a new type of toxoplasmosa gondhii that we have never met before. The CDC suspects exposure to bites from wild animals, especially the felid³ type, although all domestic animals and even birds can spread Toxoplasmosa gondhii. The first victim found in Norman works in a felid-infested neighborhood."
"Norman is now in the stage of being ordered into isolation." It's macabre. Isolation of the city is no joke. Hundreds of victims who have a tendency to bite will make you run scared.
"Previously parasites such as the Toxoplasmosa gondhii⁵ variant will continue to exist in the body, they will continue to be in the harmless phase and can be handled by the immune system. It's estimated that one-third of the world's population has ever been exposed." Dr. Hans' explanation scared us.
"But this new human-transmitted variant seems to be making a huge leap in the evolution of species. pyrimethamine combined with sulfadiazine has no effect on this new parasite, and even they can resist the powerful human immune system. The CDC does not recommend treatment, they recommend deactivation, the patient is forced into a coma, in a bind, if the cull dies and the rest of the body is burned to prevent spread."
There is no other way but death?!
We're all scared now. It seems that nature is trying to exterminate the humans who are always making damage! Destroy the cancer that is always trying to make the earth hotter, the water polluted, and the forests disappear.
And only through one parasite will he be able to do it.
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¹ CDC : Central of Diseases Control. The US Government Agency in charge of controlling infectious diseases and bioterrorism.
² DEFCON : Defense Readiness Condition
DEFCON levels are controlled by the U. S. President and Secretary of Defense through Joint Chiefs of Staff and Combatant Commanders. Each level specifies specific actions for each part of the personnel. This may be set for only one part of the region. Not for one country.
DEFCON 4: Increased surveillance activity and security tightening.
³Felid: cat-type mammals from domestic cats to big cats such as tigers and lions.
⁴Toxoplasmosa Gondhii: this is a parasite whose main host is a cat where they can develop sexually, but can also infect all types of warm-blooded animals. In adult humans the infection can be handled by the immune system and has no effect.
But if the affected are pregnant women in the early days of pregnancy then there is a risk of brain damage to the fetus. Therefore, it is forbidden to eat raw meat (rare steak in particular) which is suspected as the largest medium of transmission. Sell cats and meat**** that is not well cooked. It is estimated that 40-50% of the world's population has been infected.