Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1325 Traditional Chinese Medicine's Handling of Public Health Incidents (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)
The village loudspeaker blared twice, followed by Zhou Dahai's slightly breathless voice: "Huff... Hello, hello, hello! Urgent notice! Urgent notice! If any of your children have a fever, sore throat, or red spots on their skin recently, come to the commune's free clinic immediately! This disease is called scarlet fever, and it's highly contagious! Don't delay! And don't visit other people's homes! Come right now! I'm telling you again, recently any children in your family have a fever..."

The loudspeaker's blare echoed throughout the village, repeating the message three times after the first announcement, the sound reverberating around the area.

After he returned, he told the secretaries of several brigades about it, urging them to go back as soon as possible, since the sound could not travel far in this area, and it would be bad if some people did not hear it.

The school staff were also surprised to encounter such a health incident during their free clinic trip.

By this time, Fang Yan had already dealt with the second child who came. He didn't stop there and continued to have Anton and the other students make medicine, guessing that there would probably be more people coming later.

Upon hearing the announcement, some people who were there for medical treatment stopped going, as they were even more worried about their children at home.

"Doctor, is this disease only contagious to children, or can it also infect other people?" a patient asked Fang Yan at this moment.

The villagers who gathered around all had obvious anxiety on their faces. Some of them subconsciously touched their throats, and a young woman tightly clutched the hem of her clothes, as if she was worried about the elderly in her family.

Fang Yan looked around at the people and said, "It's not just children who are infected; everyone can be infected, but children are more likely to get it."

These words elicited a low gasp from the crowd. Fang Yan stopped what he was doing and continued to explain, "This disease is mainly transmitted through saliva, and both adults and children can get sick. However, children's resistance is weaker than adults', especially children aged five to ten, who are most susceptible to infection."

He pointed towards the isolation shed: "Look at those children just now, they were all playing together in a group, that's how they infected each other. If adults aren't careful when taking care of patients, such as not wearing masks, or touching a child's secretions and then rubbing their own eyes, they can also get infected."

"What happens if an adult gets it? Does it cause a rash like a child?" The villager who had asked the question earlier pressed on, as he had an elderly mother and a young grandson at home, and was sweating with anxiety.

“The symptoms are similar, but adults may not have as severe symptoms as children.” Fang Yan picked up the indigo powder next to her and poured it into the mortar as she spoke. “If adults get it, they will also have a fever, sore throat, and may develop a rash, but symptoms such as ‘strawberry tongue’ and peeling skin may be milder, and some may even resemble a common cold and be easily overlooked. But if adults get it and are not careful, it can be more troublesome if it is passed on to the children in the family.”

The crowd quieted down a bit as some people began to whisper about whether they had been in contact with anyone who had a fever.

Zhou Dahai had just finished arranging the shed setup when he heard this and quickly squeezed over: "Dr. Fang, how should we protect the adults? We can't just hide from them all, can we?"

"Just do these few things." Fang Yan pointed to each point and said, "First, avoid crowded places, especially near the isolation shed, and don't gather in groups to chat. Second, you must wear a mask when taking care of patients. Burn or bury used masks, don't throw them away carelessly. Third, wash your hands frequently, wash with soap before meals and after using the toilet, or rinse several times with clean water if you don't have soap. Fourth, ventilate your home frequently to blow away germs."

He paused, then added, "If anyone in your family has a fever or a sore throat, whether it's an adult or a child, don't go out. Immediately notify the brigade to find a doctor. Don't try to tough it out. Early detection and treatment of this disease will lead to a faster recovery and make it less likely to spread to others."

Just as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man rushed over and shouted to Zhou Dahai, "Secretary! My wife also had a fever this morning, and her throat hurts so much that she can't swallow. I just heard on the radio that this disease is contagious, so I came to ask her right away!"

Fang Yan immediately stood up: "Bring her to see him, he's over there at the makeshift clinic, I'll take a look at her." The man readily agreed and turned to run back. Seeing this, the surrounding villagers also dispersed, some rushing home to see their children, others hurrying to inform their families to take precautions. The crowd that had been gathered just moments before quickly cleared out.

At this point, many of the students who had come to see the doctor had all left; they had all run back to inform their families.

At this point, Wang Yuchuan and the other professors had no one else to see. They gathered together, looked at the scene, and began to discuss how to handle the situation.

They also called Zhou Dahai, and they asked the parents of the two children who were now sick, asking them where they had stayed, and finally got some information.

Fang Yan joined in at this moment. He had experienced several similar public health incidents in his previous life, some even larger than this one. He wasn't too panicked. Given the limited time and inconvenient transportation, the spread of the virus shouldn't be too widespread.

Finally, they came up with a plan to isolate, screen, and prevent the spread of the virus.

At this moment, Professor Wang Yuchuan said:

“I just asked the parents, and they all came from the same brigade, the same place, and drank from the same well, so it’s highly likely that their area is the core of the epidemic.”

"That area should be immediately sealed off and thoroughly screened."

"Confirmed and suspected cases will continue to be concentrated in temporary isolation sheds, and non-medical personnel are strictly prohibited from contacting them."

"Secretary Zhou, please continue to use the village broadcast to urgently notify all villagers to conduct self-checks, such as those with fever, sore throat, or rash, and ask them to proactively report any suspected symptoms. Finally, the brigade secretary should lead a team to conduct door-to-door investigations, especially checking children and contacts in families near the core area of ​​the epidemic."

"The wells in the core area of ​​the epidemic were immediately suspended from use, and special personnel were organized to disinfect them by adding bleaching powder or boiling them before use. Safe water sources were also temporarily allocated for the villagers' daily life."

"Also... disinfect the homes of confirmed cases, public areas such as wells, and gathering places with lime water or mugwort smoke. We brought these with us this time, and we'll give them to you to distribute later."

Upon hearing Wang Yuchuan's words, Zhou Dahai nodded repeatedly and then quickly did as he was told.

After the meeting, Li Ping's medicine was almost ready. Fang Yan, wearing a mask, held the medicine and fed it to the child.

After feeding the child a bowl of medicine, the mother quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of the child's mouth, and then handed him a small sip of warm water: "Rinse your mouth, it won't be bitter anymore."

Fang Yan stood up and touched the child's forehead. Although it was still hot, the temperature had dropped a bit from the burning sensation before.

"The medicine won't take a while to take effect. Let him rest for a bit. If he coughs again, remember to catch the phlegm," Fang Yan said to the child's mother.

The mother nodded repeatedly, picked up her child, and sat down on the straw mat in the shed: "Yes, I've remembered everything, Dr. Fang. Don't worry."

As soon as I stepped out of the shed, I saw Yang Yuanchao leading two barefoot doctors in a hurry over, their notebooks filled with densely packed names.

"Dr. Fang! Three suspected cases have been found in the core area. They all played with those children. One of them also developed a rash, but his fever isn't as high!"

Fang Yan paused, then immediately said, "Bring him over."

Yang Yuanchao nodded repeatedly and quickly ordered the person to be brought over.

At the same time, I felt fortunate:
Luckily, I ran into these professors and students who came to the countryside for free medical consultations today, otherwise they wouldn't have known about this!
PS: I got another 100 monthly votes, so I'm adding this chapter.

The accounts are balanced.
(End of this chapter)