African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 564: Chapter 242: Leave It to Time to Test

Nile River Province.

Rovinard Village.

A group of people in white coats were gathered in front of several houses in Rovinard Village. Many onlookers wanted to approach but were driven back to a distance by the city police.

A long quarantine line encircled the houses marked with red paint. The white coats were fully equipped, wearing masks and gloves, holding tongs in their hands, picking and choosing.

The police officer in green uniform shouted to the villagers of Rovinard Village in front of him, ”Stay away, it’s best not to go near these houses within this week. We are going to burn these houses shortly, so it’s best not to watch, to avoid accidental injury.”

At this moment, another police officer said, ”Also, last question, does anyone in the village have any personal belongings of the infected? You should seriously consider this, do not be greedy for small gains. I must remind you that the virus is contagious, though we are uncertain of the transmission route, so it’s best to be completely sure.”

At this moment, a villager shouted, ”Don’t worry, officer. We know how to deal with the plague. We dare not take the belongings of the dead. Who would risk their life for petty gains?”

”Very good, it’s best if there isn’t any.”

In actuality, this small village in the western Nile River Province had nothing valuable to covet. Most immigration items were distributed by East Africa, all accounted for, so it could be roughly determined if something was missing. As the police mentioned earlier, asking like this was merely to ensure everything was foolproof, a necessary procedure.

Faced with a sudden outbreak, some villagers appeared panicked, while some older immigrants seemed calm and composed. Having experienced such incidents before, they were seasoned. Rovinard Village was a new immigrant settlement, with very few older immigrants as leaders to help newcomers quickly adapt to the East African environment.

Of course, to say they were completely calm is an exaggeration. Not even the long-working disease center staff could remain completely indifferent. However, the incident had already occurred, and everyone could only tacitly maintain their composure, knowing that panic wouldn’t solve the problem.

There were truly fearless, or perhaps numb individuals, namely some police officers and Claire from Glucegen City’s disease center. Most East African police were former military, so death didn’t mean much to them. Claire was simply accustomed to seeing it.

”Mr. Claire, we’ve collected all the belongings of the infected. We’ve also filled the houses with flammable materials like firewood and straw.”

”Set them ablaze!” said Claire, accustomed to bidding farewell to life and death, callously, ignoring the low spirits of those behind him.

Soon, the houses were engulfed in flames, with thick smoke darkening the sky, the firelight carrying echoes of ghostly wails.

”Director Claire, it’s most likely that this disease originated from consuming raw wild animals. According to our investigation, it could be monkeys.”

”Is there any related evidence?”

”Mainly from villagers’ accounts. They said a villager named Tie Li hunted and ate monkeys from the eastern forest out of craving.”

”Monkeys? Even if this person had cravings, why target monkeys? There are so many wild animals - lions, leopards, wildebeests, zebras...” Claire counted, ”So many animals, yet they chose monkeys.”

”This might be related to a rumored delicacy from the Far East, known as monkey brain. However, it’s clear that Li didn’t know how to handle this ingredient, leading to this accident. Of course, this is just our speculation; it’s not certain whether it resulted from hunting or consuming wild animals.”

Many infectious diseases in East Africa seemingly appear out of nowhere, making it hard to identify their origin. Malaria, however, is easily traceable, as mosquitoes are responsible for 90% of the cases.

”Monkey brain?” This left Claire speechless. If it were any other animal, or if the food had been cooked, this might not have happened.

In East Africa’s early days of development, when solving food shortages, they inevitably targeted East Africa’s wildlife. However, their targets were mostly zebras and wildebeests, being cautious with peculiar wild animals.

Claire addressed the villagers, ”This unidentified source of infection likely resulted from you violating regulations by hunting wild monkeys out of greed. Moreover, I wonder how you stomach something with blood when you don’t lack meat. So, Li’s death isn’t uncalled for. If he had died alone, it’d be fine, but his five neighbors were unlucky enough to follow suit.”

He turned to his assistant and asked, ”Have you handled the individuals who had contact with the deceased?”

”They have been isolated, and no issues have been discovered so far.”

”Very good, keep them well quarantined. If they show no symptoms in a week, there should be no major issues. Regarding Rovinard Village, refrain from direct contact with the outside for a month.”

”The city government previously decided to send living supplies to a flat area two miles from the village, and we’ll collect them every three days, so there’s no shortage of food and drink here.”

”Yes, this was previously arranged with the city by our disease center. You younger ones need not worry. Once you’ve experienced storms like these, you’ll get used to it over time.” Claire comforted his team members.

Walking by the river often leads to wet feet, and Claire had experienced witnessing many farewells. Fortunately, he lived safely until now.

”Diseases aren’t that terrifying. They’re like gambling, and the odds of winning are low. I haven’t heard about any large-scale outbreaks in recent years, so you need not worry about your future. I believe you’ll live more comfortably than I will.”

”Director Claire, have you experienced a major infectious outbreak?”

”Just once, back in the days in Kampala city. Aside from that, all I know is from hearsay. East Africa did have its share of issues back then. However, with timely control, none became major disasters. Even in Europe, they wouldn’t be considered significant; for instance, a pandemic like the Vienna plague level hasn’t occurred yet in East Africa, or we haven’t had the chance.”

”Director Claire, we’ve only been in East Africa for several years, but indeed, it’s quite different from Europe’s description. In fact, this is East Africa’s unique aspect. Other African regions are completely different from East Africa. Do you know why?”

Claire shook his head, ”I’m not sure, but personally, I think a major reason East Africa became the safest place in Africa is the enforced hygiene habits, like filtering water, boiling it, cooking food thoroughly, cleaning hygiene, maintaining cleanliness in apparel and bathing, etc. These measures, both large and small, greatly protect East African citizens’ safety. Though there are many rules, tests suggest these measures are effective.”

”We don’t know the exact reasons, but measures like mosquito control seem to have significantly reduced malaria cases in East Africa, even lower than some temperate regions and countries.”

”Those are beyond our grasp, but practicing hygiene certainly improves quality of life. Perhaps only lazy people dislike it.”

Claire chatted with his team members, as they’d remain in Rovinard Village for the next two to three weeks, because once they entered the village, they too were potential carriers of infection. Without medical testing equipment, only time could confirm their safety, so they had to leave it to time.