The Beginning of the End:
The local TV news has begun and immediately it launches into a report on the burgeoning flu epidemic that is affecting the city of Raleigh.The studio quickly hands over to an outside broadcast unit at the main hospital;
The screen shows a rapid succession of camera shots of the hospital grounds where a collection of military style tents have been erected. The reporter, Cissy Jones, details the rising numbers of patients arriving at this and other hospitals city wide complaining of the symptoms that doctors are linking to an unknown, as yet, strain of flu.
Cissy Jones – So tell me Doctor, in your opinion, is there any truth in the rumours that people are actually dying from this flu?
Doctor – People die in any flu outbreak. So the fact that people are dying from this strain is nothing new. (He takes a clipboard from a white coated assistant, scans it, writes something and hands it back). If you will excuse me, I am needed. Please do not give this virus special status, it is simply an unknown strain of the influenza virus. People can help the authorities by staying indoors off the streets, avoiding large crowds, and using a simple surgical mask to reduce likely infection (He starts to move away up the corridor). Oh and (he turns back to face the camera) please do not add to the overstretch of medical services unless absolutely necessary. Take a couple of aspirins and go to bed, it’s flu!. A couple of days and the majority will be fine, we need the hospitals for the minority cases.
Cissy Jones – So there it is, take the doctors advice and stay at home. And when your boss asks why you weren’t at work, tell him that a doctor told you to take the day off. This is Cissy Jones for….
What started as a normal day has quickly spiralled into one of questions and concerns. News reports are flooding in across television, radio, and the Internet of a wild outbreak of flu-like symptoms. Already, emergency rooms are filled past capacity with the sick, and overflow triage tents have been erected at all major hospitals. To punctuate the severity of the situation, the Federal Government has asked that people remain indoors as much as possible until the source of the new strain can be determined.
The situation is not exclusive to Raleigh, either, as cities across the country are reporting similar situations.
Of course, as is typical, the streets are nonetheless filled with people as everyone ignores the warning and goes about their daily shopping, work, and recreation.