Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1329 Report to superiors: The neighboring commune has no infections? (Two chapters combined)
Everyone fell silent upon hearing Wang Yuchuan's words. The other group had gone to the neighboring Dongfeng Commune. Although they started work a little later than them, they should have discovered the problem by now.

"Contact them immediately!" Wang Yuchuan took a step forward, his voice urgent. "The peddler showed up here seven days ago. At the speed at which he travels from village to village, he might have arrived there the day before yesterday! If they aren't on guard there, they might not only fail to get treatment, but they could also get infected themselves!"

In 1978, there was no instant communication between communes. The only hand-cranked telephone was in the commune office, which was in a commune relatively close to the city. Other communes further away didn't have any telephones at all.

At this moment, Zhou Dahai had already taken off running towards the village office:
"I'll go dial the phone! If I can't get through, I'll send someone to Dongfeng Commune to report it!"

"Wait!" Fang Yan suddenly called out to him.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Dahai asked, surprised.

Fang Yan said to him:
"Don't attack over there yet, attack the city first."

"Huh? In the city, for whom?" Zhou Dahai looked completely bewildered.

He said in dialect:

"This situation is beyond our ability to resolve; we need intervention from higher-level health authorities."

"The peddler has already visited at least two communes. Who knows where else he's been? We only have enough medicine for today. Without coordination from higher authorities, we simply can't handle the subsequent disinfection, isolation, and case statistics!"

Zhou Dahai blinked, still not fully understanding: "But...but isn't Dongfeng Commune in a hurry? What if they're busy with something else right now and haven't caught the peddler..."

"It's urgent, but we have to report to our superiors first!" Wang Yuchuan suddenly spoke up, adding to Fang Yan's words, "If we report to the Health Bureau, they can notify Dongfeng Commune, Hongqi Commune, and even all the surrounding communes at the same time. This is ten times faster than us sending people to each one one by one! If we call Dongfeng Commune first, and wait until they know before trying to report it to higher levels, the peddler might have already moved on to the next village by then!"

These words woke Zhou Dahai up. He slapped his thigh and said, "That's right! You guys are so thoughtful! I'll go right now. Even if the line is broken, we have to get the commune people to ride motorcycles to the city to deliver the message!" With that, he turned and rushed towards the village office.

After a while, Zhou Dahai came out and said to Fang Yan and the others:

"The phone is malfunctioning; I can't get through."

"I shook it for ages, but all I could hear was static and I couldn't hear anything. The line wasn't working well before, but today it's completely broken."

"What do we do now? Should we go to the city to report this?" Zhou Dahai was at a loss, and he asked Fang Yan and the others.

At this moment, Old Hu stepped forward and said:

"Come to our factory to get it."

Nodding in dialect:

"Yes, drive there."

Then he called out to Anton and gave him a phone number, telling him to go to the factory to make the call.

"Master, aren't you going?" Anton asked Fang Yan.

He said in dialect:

“I can’t leave here. You take Secretary Zhou over there to make the call. Have him report to the higher-ups and notify the neighboring commune. Then you can call the Ministry of Health.”

“Okay!” Anton immediately agreed, and then drove off with Zhou Dahai toward the factory.

At this moment, Lao Hu asked Fang Yan:

"Do you need me to send some more supplies to the commune next door?"

Fang Yan shook his head:
"They might not use my first aid method, so there's no need to send them."

"Now you should take Director Shi and the others back to the city. Remember to have them disinfected and changed clothes at Xiehe Hospital before going home."

Old Hu asked in dialect:

"Given our situation, shouldn't we find a place to quarantine?"

Fang Yan looked up at Lao Hu, then glanced at Director Shi and his group who were packing up their photography equipment not far away:

"Centralized quarantine is not necessary for the time being, but thorough disinfection and changing into clean clothes are essential steps, even more crucial than quarantine itself."

He stepped back two steps from the examination table, avoiding the feverish child who had just been brought in, and continued to explain: "Isolation is to prevent people who are already infected but have not yet developed symptoms from spreading the virus. Although Director Shi and his team were on site for half a day, they stood outside the lime line the whole time. They did not directly touch the confirmed child, nor did they come into contact with the child's secretions. You see, they didn't even get close to the examination table, and they always wore their masks tightly. At most, they are considered 'indirect contacts,' and their risk is much lower than that of family members who are closely accompanying patients."

Wang Yuchuan added from the side:

"Scarlet fever has a short incubation period, usually two to five days, and at most seven days. Adults are generally not too seriously ill after infection, but children are the most affected."

Old Hu nodded.

"But we can't skimp on any disinfection work." Fang Yan emphasized.

“The streptococcus that causes this disease can not only be spread through droplets, but can also stick to clothes and equipment. Director Shi’s camera bag and their trouser legs may have been contaminated with germ-laden dust. If they go directly into the city, take the bus, or go home to see their families without disinfection, it’s like bringing the germs into the city and spreading them. All our efforts to prevent it here will be in vain.”

He paused and added:
"Take them to Peking Union Medical College Hospital and have the hospital staff wipe their entire bodies with disinfectant. Scald their clothes with boiling water on the spot and then wash them. Peking Union Medical College Hospital has a special disinfection room, which is better than ours. After changing them into clean clothes, let them go home. After they go home, they should observe themselves for seven days, taking their temperature twice a day. If they develop a rash or a sore throat, they should go to the hospital immediately. This way, we won't delay their work and we can also eliminate the risk."

Old Hu understood now, and rubbed his hands together:
"I understand. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them. They're not allowed to get on the bus or go home until the disinfection is complete."

“And your people.” Fang Yan then looked at Lao Hu, “The factory workers who came with the medicine delivery team were close to the isolation shed when they were moving the medicine. They have to do the same when they get back. Go to the disinfection room first when you get back to the factory, and disinfect your clothes, hands and feet. Don’t go straight back to the workshop or dormitory.”

"No problem!" Old Hu replied.

Then he remembered the two pregnant women in his family and asked Fang Yan:

"Does that mean we can't go home for the next few days?"

"It's not that we can't go back, but we have to go back completely cleanly and minimize the risk. Pregnant women have special physical conditions and do need to be more careful, but if we do the necessary precautions, we should be fine."

Old Hu was still a little uneasy after hearing this.

Wang Yuchuan then interjected, saying:

“Scarlet fever itself doesn’t have a particularly big impact on pregnant women. The main concern is that the bacteria might be transmitted to the pregnant woman and then affect the fetus through the placenta, or that the pregnant woman’s fever might cause other problems. As long as you don’t bring the bacteria home, there’s not much risk.”

"If all else fails, we can just make do in the factory dormitory to avoid the risk of traveling back and forth," Fang Yan said.

"Wait three or four days until the epidemic here is under control before you go home with peace of mind."

Upon hearing this dialect, Lao Hu immediately said:
"Okay, that's a good idea!"

With his wife about to give birth, he didn't want the child to miscarry because of him.

Even if speaking in a dialect sounds safe, he still has to be extremely vigilant.

Old Hu said to the dialect:

"I'll stay at the factory tonight. After I see Director Shi off, I'll call home to let them know I'm safe."

Nodding in dialect:

"also."

He understood Lao Hu's mindset very well; better safe than sorry.

At this moment, Lao Hu shouted to Director Shi:
"Director Shi, let's pack up and head back to the city. We'll go to Xiehe Hospital for disinfection first, and then take you home!"

As a result, Shi Min directly said:

"I'm not going back for now. I plan to follow up and report on the situation here."

Old Hu paused abruptly upon hearing this, his eyes filled with astonishment: "Director Shi, this won't do! There are so many children with fevers here, lots of germs. It's too dangerous for you to stay here!"

Shi Min had already set up the photography equipment again, with the lens pointing directly at the examination table:

“It is precisely because of the danger that we must stay. The common people do not know what this disease is all about. They dare to leave their seriously ill children to die after hearing a few rumors. The barefoot doctor can recognize ‘rheumatoid arthritis’, but he has no medicine and no way to treat it. I must take pictures and write down how you treat the disease and how you prevent infection, so that people in the surrounding communes can see it. It will be ten times more effective than just notifying them by phone.”

Old Hu was speechless, and reminded Shi Min:
"Director Shi, there are no televisions in the countryside."

Shi Min said:

“I know there’s no television in the countryside, but there are radios, bulletin boards, and commune propagandists who can read newspapers. Photos can be posted on bulletin boards in each commune, and articles can be read aloud to the whole village by broadcasters. Many villagers are illiterate, but they take ‘looking at pictures’ and ‘listening to news’ most seriously, which is much more effective than dry notices.”

Old Hu thought for a moment. He was originally there to do publicity, and since Shi Min planned to stay and report on it, it wouldn't be a bad thing for him and Fang Yan. So he said:

"Okay, please take precautions and don't get too close." Shi Min nodded in agreement.

The matter here was just resolved when the drivers over there started getting restless again.

They came here to deliver goods, but now they know there's an infectious disease here. They even used their truck to transport these infected people, and now they're all demanding an explanation.

"Dr. Fang! You have to give us an explanation!" The lead driver was a burly man in his thirties, his face full of anxiety. He saw that Fang Yan had just finished his work, so he brought his men to him: "We came to deliver medicine, how did we know we were carrying patients with infectious diseases? This car is full of germs now. What will happen to our wives and children if we get infected when we get back?"

The two drivers behind him chimed in, one of the younger ones' voices trembling: "That's right, Dr. Fang! We were just driving that kid from Xipo Village, and his cough was spraying all over the car window! If we catch this disease, losing our jobs is a small matter, but what if we lose our lives?"

Another, slightly older man stared at his truck, his brow furrowed: "This truck is our unit's prized possession. If it gets damaged by germs, who will dare use it in the future? We'll have to pay for it!"

The surrounding noise subsided instantly, and the parents subconsciously took a step back. Even the clinic doctor who was registering information stopped writing.

Fang Yan had just finished feeding a sick child with reed root water when she heard this, so she put down the bowl.

These people were indeed nervous, but they were mostly there to extort money from you.

Fang Yan walked up to the drivers and said calmly:
"Don't worry, everyone. This is something we didn't think through. We will definitely give you a proper solution."

He first pointed to the coal stove not far away:
"Li Hui, first pour a bowl of cooling soup for the chefs so they can soothe their throats. This soup can help prevent heatstroke."

He then turned to the drivers and patiently explained, “I understand your concerns: fear of getting sick, fear of damaging your car, fear of taking responsibility. These are all reasonable. But let’s clarify the situation first. Scarlet fever is mainly transmitted through droplets and contact. If we thoroughly disinfect the area, the risk can be minimized.”

The burly driver, neck stiff with sarcasm, demanded, "How do we get it completely clean? Are we spraying disinfectant inside the car? What about us?"

"Both the car and the people need to be disinfected!" Fang Yan immediately chimed in, then turned and called over Lao Hu, "Lao Hu, have someone drive the truck to the factory's disinfection area and spray it three times inside and out with our spare peracetic acid solution, including the seats, steering wheel, windows, and even the tire seams. After spraying, leave the truck with the doors open for half an hour to let it air out, and the germs will be basically killed."

He then looked at the drivers: "You guys, later you'll go to the factory's disinfection room with Director Shi and the others. Wipe your whole body with disinfectant, take off your outer clothes and scald them with boiling water, and soak your shoes in disinfectant for ten minutes. The factory has clean spare work clothes, so change before you leave. All of this is free, you won't have to spend a penny."

The young driver was still uneasy: "What... what if I still get sick after the disinfection?"

"I guarantee you this." Fang Yan took out a small notebook from his white coat pocket, opened it, and handed it over. "Write down your names, home addresses, and contact numbers. If you develop symptoms such as fever, sore throat, or rash within seven days of returning home, go directly to Xiehe Hospital in the city and mention my name. We will cover all medical expenses. If I really get sick because of bringing patients, I will personally apologize to you."

Wang Yuchuan then walked over. He had just finished explaining the diagnosis to the barefoot doctor and added to the drivers, "Gentlemen, I am Wang Yuchuan, the vice president of the Capital University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Scarlet fever looks fierce, but as long as it is treated in time, adults can generally recover. Moreover, we have done disinfection and prevention in advance, so the probability of infection is extremely low. You are here to help deliver medicine; you are heroes, and we must not let heroes suffer any injustice."

Old Hu also chimed in:

“That’s right! I’ll personally inspect the vehicle after it’s been disinfected, and I guarantee it’ll be as good as new. If the production team really makes things difficult for you, I’ll go and tell the commune secretary that I’m the one who asked you to transport the people, and I’ll take responsibility.”

After Lao Hu finished speaking, he unzipped his wallet and counted out three ten-yuan bills. This was no small amount at the time, enough for an ordinary family to live on for half a month.

He shoved the money into the hand of the burly driver in the lead, his voice clear and cheerful: "It's not easy for you drivers to make this trip, and you've taken such a big risk. Take this money, consider it compensation for buying some meat and a bottle of wine for your families. Don't think it's too little."

The burly driver clenched his fist tightly around the money. The anxiety on his face vanished instantly, like a flame extinguished by water. His downturned lips immediately turned into a smile, and even his eyes lit up: "Oh, Director Hu, what are you doing! Dr. Fang explained everything clearly, and the disinfection arrangements are all done perfectly. How could we possibly take your money!" He said he didn't want it, but his hand didn't loosen its grip. Instead, he put the money into his pocket.

The young driver's trembling voice immediately turned obsequious:

"That's right! We were a little confused and panicked just now. With you and Dr. Fang being so thoughtful, what do we have to worry about?" He said, glancing at the truck. "Just make sure the truck is thoroughly disinfected. I'll talk to my workplace, and I guarantee no one will blame us!"

The older driver quickly chimed in, his brow completely unfurrowing: "Dr. Fang's preventative soup suggestion was excellent, and these disinfection measures are even more comprehensive than what the doctors at our unit have thought of! It's not that we're afraid of taking responsibility, it's just that we have elderly people and children at home, and we're really worried. Now that you two have said this, we feel much more at ease!"

"That's more like it!" Old Hu patted the burly driver on the shoulder. "We're all doing this to get things done, so let's be considerate of each other. After the disinfection is finished, I'll have the canteen pack some steamed buns for you to take with you on the way."

"Oh, thank you so much!" The burly driver grinned, his eyes crinkling with smiles. He turned to his two companions and shouted, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and drive the car over there! Maybe we can help haul some supplies. Don't let Dr. Fang and Master Hu's kindness go to waste!"

The young driver immediately agreed, "Yes, yes, yes! I'll go open the car door!" He then dashed off to the truck, his legs, which had been trembling a moment ago, now moving with surprising agility. The older man approached Fang Yan, speaking politely, "Dr. Fang, could you please give us two more bowls of that cooling soup you mentioned? We can take some home for our families to drink, just to put our minds at ease."

Fang Yan sneered inwardly at the change in attitude; they were definitely after the money. But he kept his expression to himself and gestured with his chin toward Li Hui: "Pour a few more bowls for the chefs, in our enamel mugs, so they can drink them on the road."

"Okay!" Li Hui replied crisply, turning around to get the jar.

Shi Min had the photographer secretly capture this scene from a short distance away. The drivers' busy backs in the shot were a stark contrast to their earlier anxious demeanor. He whispered to the photographer beside him, "They changed their tune after taking the money. Fang and Hu, on the other hand, are quite interesting; they managed to uphold their principles while also smoothing things over."

The photographer smiled at Shi Min and said:
"These drivers are all like that, they're pretty much the same across different companies."

Old Hu then walked over to Fang Yan, lowered his voice, and chuckled:

"That's how you deal with these people. Give them something practical; it's more effective than a thousand grand principles. It saves a lot of trouble with a little money."

Fang Yan nodded, his gaze falling on the newly arrived sick child: "As long as they stop causing trouble and don't delay the epidemic prevention efforts, that's fine."

After a while, Anton and Zhou Dahai drove back.

After getting out of the car, Zhou Dahai said to Fang Yan and Wang Yuchuan:

"I've already made the call, and they'll send someone down soon. They should be organizing the epidemic prevention team right now."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the higher-ups took over, things would be much easier. The current situation was beyond their ability to handle. Who knew how many people that peddler had infected?

"Hey, by the way, what's the situation at the commune next door?" Fang Yan asked Zhou Dahai.

Zhou Dahai said with a somewhat strange expression:
"They said...nothing was found."

"Didn't you find anything?" Fang Yan's brows furrowed sharply, and his voice involuntarily rose a little. "How could we not find anything? The peddler should have arrived at Dongfeng Commune the day before yesterday. Given the rate at which the disease breaks out here, even if he arrived two days later than us, there should be children with fever and rashes by now!"

He glanced subconsciously in the direction of Dongfeng Commune, where the horizon was shrouded in a thin layer of dust, and there wasn't a single messenger in sight. Wang Yuchuan, standing beside him, also frowned, his fingers unconsciously tapping the edge of the consultation table: "Did they fail to detect it, or is it really not there? Did you clarify this on the phone?"

“I asked! I shouted at their commune secretary for a long time, saying that the peddler was carrying germs and that they should quickly check the children who had recently developed fevers.” Zhou Dahai wiped the sweat from his forehead, his tone revealing frustration. “But the secretary said that their clinic had only received two people with colds in the past two days, and had not seen any with rashes. He also said that I was making a fuss over nothing and that I was cursing something bad to happen to their commune.”

"..." Fang Yan was speechless.

"Nonsense!" Wang Yuchuan couldn't help but shout. "The initial symptoms of scarlet fever are similar to those of a cold. If it's an inexperienced barefoot doctor, it's easy to misdiagnose! They're playing with people's lives!"

Hearing this, Li Ping also came over, her face serious: "Could it be that the peddler didn't stay in Dongfeng Commune? Or... the people there have strong resistance and haven't fallen ill yet?"

"Impossible," Fang Yan immediately denied. "The peddler travels from village to village to do business, and Dongfeng Commune is a necessary stop on his route; there's no reason for him to bypass it. As for immunity, this disease specifically targets children; it has nothing to do with adults' immunity." He paused, then suddenly thought of a possibility, "Could it be that they've concealed the cases? Afraid of being criticized by their superiors for ineffective epidemic prevention?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present fell silent.

In 1978, there were indeed precedents of local governments concealing the epidemic for the sake of "political achievements." If Dongfeng Commune had really done that, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Once the epidemic had spread completely, it would have been difficult to control.

At this moment, Yang Yuanchao said:

“I asked at the village entrance before, and some villagers saw the peddler heading towards Dongfeng Commune. It’s impossible that he hadn’t been there, unless he was robbed on the way!”

Fang Yan then said:
"Secretary Zhou, could you send someone to Dongfeng Commune again to talk to the doctor at their clinic and tell him that scarlet fever has been confirmed here and that the peddler is the source of the infection? Tell them to immediately investigate the children who came into contact with the peddler yesterday."

"I'll go myself!" Zhou Dahai clenched his fist, still angry from being rebuked by the secretary of Dongfeng Commune. "I'll bring our diagnostic records, and I'll have Li Ping come with me. She can clearly explain the symptoms, so those people won't try to fool us again!"

Li Ping said to him:
"Don't go, Xiao Yang and I will go."

Yang Yuanchao also said:

"Right, when the higher-ups come later, who will they talk to if you're not there?"

Zhou Dahai slapped his forehead:

"Tsk, look at my brain!"

"I'm so busy today, I can't keep up."

After he finished speaking, he made the decision and said to Li Ping:

"Alright, you can go ahead."

Fang Yan called Anton over and asked him to drive over so he could also check out the situation there.

After Anton agreed, he drove the people away.

……

The treatment and rescue efforts continued, with more patients arriving one after another. Most of them had been ill for two or three days, and some of their symptoms were not yet severe, so the treatment was not too stressful.

Around noon, a huge cloud of dust rose on the farm road outside the village. A convoy led by a jeep drove up from a distance; the Ministry of Health's epidemic prevention team had arrived.

PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words has been updated.

(End of this chapter)