April 18, 2003

• The Power of Big Brother

  
  

  I've got a sore throat...

  
  

  BUT, there's mucous, which is apparently not a symptom of SARS.  I'm also praying for mucous to seep out of my nostrils, because runny nose is also not a symptom.  Perhaps I'm just paranoid, but this shit is scary.  I'm trying hard not to cough, so people don't think I've got SARS.  How will I pick up the honey's?  I've bought a thermometer, I don't have a fever, let's hope it's not the calm before the storm.

  
  

  My friend in HK, she was an intern at the hospital where it broke out.  All the interns got sick.  I wanted to get in touch with her, but I had to find her email from an old friend that I had a spat with a couple years ago.  I'm very happy we're talking again.  Here's that intern's email to me:

  
  

  Of course I remember the week when I was sick. It was my worst nightmare.  People usually use fever as the definitive symptom for SARS mainly because many people in the population would not notice other symptoms and because everyone knows how to take a temperature. The disease presents more or less
  like a flu - fever, muscle aches and stiffness, tiredness, cough but no sputum (dry cough) and headache. There is usually no runny nose. I was actually really scared at that time because I had every symptom on the list and more than 50 medical staff were hospitalized at that time. I had to report to the emergency dept everyday for a chest x-ray and check-up and everyday I would get a phone call or email saying that another student from the class was hospitalized. There was a special team from my university to look after medical students who have contracted the disease and so everyday, I have to contact the prof in charge to tell him about my progression but the bad thing was that they didn't know what caused the disease and so they didn't know how the disease would progress. They were mainly keeping in contact with us to comfort us and give advice.  I was given anti-viral drugs and antibiotics but whenever I took them, I would feel so nauseated that I couldn't sleep. My fever never came down during that week so every night I had to wake up at 3am for another round of tylenol. I finished a bottle of tylenol during that week!  And in the middle of the week, my roommate was admitted to the hospital because her chest x-ray showed shadows on her lung fields. She had every symptom that I had and she actually thought she was feeling better that day.  So I was really scared that night worrying about her and that I might share the same fate.  That was the worst disease I ever had because I was so weak that I couldn't walk properly and I felt dizzy after taking a few steps so I spent almost the entire week in bed. It was horrible! 

  
  

  So looking through headlines for the disease, I think it's hilarious how nonchalant big brother is being.

  
  

  Not all cases of SARS in China are being reported, experts say  -  Baltimore Sun  (Apr 17, 2003)
  Virus Badly Underreported in Beijing, W.H.O. Team Finds  -  NY Times  (Apr 17, 2003)
  Beijing pressured over SARS crisis, five more die in Hong Kong, China  -  AFP  (Apr 17, 2003)
  China Is Faulted on SARS  -  LA Times  (Apr 17, 2003)China Let SARS Death Toll Climb-U.S. Official  -  Reuters  (Apr 16, 2003)
  Experts Say China Has Greatly Underestimated Virus Cases  -  NY Times/Yahoo! News  (Apr 16, 2003) China Develops Fast SARS Detection Technology  -  People's Daily (China)  (Apr 16, 2003)

  
  

  Basically, everyone is saying Big Brother Fucked up.  And then we get one report from a Chinese newspaper saying that they've developed Fast SARS Detection Technology.

  
  

  So Oakenfold is spinning tonight, and apparently Zhang Ziyi is gonna be there.  Should I flirt with SARS and go on a rumour that she'll be there?  Maybe she'll let me hold her hand!  I'm so shy.

  
  

  Here are some drunken pictures.

  
  

  

  
  

  

  • 5:52 am
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