Quarantine

DAY 1

Lucia: February 15th. Arrived in Mbangu.

Lucia: Thirty hours of travel. Two planes, a jeep, and the last two hours on foot.

Lucia: About sixty huts surrounded by jungle. A river to the east.

Lucia: image1.jpg

Lucia: There are five of us: me, Dr. Armand, two local nurses (Joseph and Amara), and Claire on logistics.

Lucia: The outbreak started a week ago. High fever. Up to 106 degrees.

Lucia: 23 confirmed cases. Zero deaths.

Lucia: With fevers that high, there should be complications. But there's nothing.

...

Lucia: The village chief, Kwame, greeted us with distrust.

Lucia: Amara translated: 'He says the sickness isn't a sickness. It's a calling.'

Lucia: Superstitions. It's normal.

Lucia: This is my first real mission. I want to do things right.

DAY 2

Lucia: I checked on eight patients. Fever between 102 and 106. No sign of infection.

Lucia: No respiratory symptoms. No diarrhea. No rash.

Lucia: Just fever. Fever and nothing else.

Lucia: Armand: 'I've seen Ebola, malaria, typhoid. This is unlike anything.'

...

Lucia: Joseph told me two patients from last week have already 'recovered'.

Lucia: I asked him how they are.

Lucia: He just said, 'Different.'

DAY 3

Lucia: I saw the recovered ones.