#141, MERS
A man walks home with his camel after picking up supplies at the market. He perfunctorily pets the camel's nose before entering his home and retiring for the evening. Early the next morning, a man from a foreign land visits the same market and purchases a bottle of water before hailing a taxi to the airport. He rubs his eyes from the weariness of waking up so early. After a short flight home, he feels unusually fatigued. He checks into the local clinic where two nurses dutifully attend to him unable to find the causes of his lethargy. He dies a few days later. The two nurses show symptoms of fatigue as well. The hospital staff is put on alert. The health department is notified of an unusual outbreak of a unknown disease. A village is put in quarantine. The Minister of Education shuts down thousands of schools across the country. A man walks home with his camel after picking up supplies at the market.
butterfly effect n. the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere.
The past ten days have been somewhat of a contradiction. We are in the midst of an outbreak of a disease that very little is known about. Yet, life continues on uninterrupted for the vast majority of the populace. The effects MERS have been felt throughout the country though very few have been infected.
To complete this Journal response,
- Do you believe the government's response (i.e., shutting down schools, quarantining hospitals and people) to the MERS outbreak was correct?
- How have you personally been affected by MERS?
- Comment on one of your peer's responses.
-Brenden Lee Teacher
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