Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1330 Bureaucracy, Fang Yan guessed it right (Bonus chapter for monthly votes)

"The epidemic prevention team is here, let's go and greet them!" Wang Yuchuan said to Fang Yan and Zhou Dahai.

Fang Yan nodded and followed.

The once bustling clinics around them have now quieted down, as higher-ups have come to take over their work.

Zhou Dahai followed Fang Yan and Wang Yuchuan to greet them.

By this time, the convoy had arrived at the commune. The door of the jeep opened first, and a middle-aged man in a dark Zhongshan suit got out of the car and greeted Wang Yuchuan and Fang Yan.

Fang Yan remembered that this was the leader who led the team when his mother-in-law went to Jilin to deal with the Soviet Far East influenza pandemic.

"Hello, Chen Jingshan, Professor Wang, and Director Fang from the Ministry of Health's Epidemic Prevention and Control Supervision Group." He introduced himself while shaking hands with Fang Yan and the others.

He could pronounce Fang Yan and Wang Yuchuan by name.

"You've finally arrived, leader!" Zhou Dahai, the commune secretary, greeted Chen Jingshan warmly.

“I was Zhou Dahai, the secretary of the commune. I was the one who made the call back then.”

Chen Jingshan shook Zhou Dahai's hand, but his gaze quickly swept over the temporary clinic behind him. In the isolation area marked by the lime line, several children were coughing in their parents' arms, and young people in white coats were quickly registering patients behind the examination table. There was a faint smell of medicine and disinfectant in the air.

He released his grip and got straight to the point: "Secretary Zhou, Director Fang, Professor Wang, please tell us the current situation. How many cases have been confirmed? Have you located the source of infection?"

Zhou Dahai quickly stepped forward, speaking rapidly: "Leader Chen, there are currently seventeen confirmed cases among the children. They all fell ill in the past few days. At first, they were all treated as having a cold, but thanks to Dr. Fang, we recognized it as scarlet fever! Later, during the treatment process, we gathered information and determined that the source of infection was most likely a peddler. He showed up in our commune seven days ago, and judging by his pace, he went to the neighboring Dongfeng Commune a few days ago!"

Fang Yan added, "We have already investigated the contact history. The peddler has traveled to five villages around here, mainly selling candy and trinkets, and he has mainly come into contact with children. He is now being treated with traditional Chinese medicine, and the fever of the mild cases has already gone down, but the medicine will only last until this afternoon, and the disinfection supplies are almost gone."

Wang Yuchuan then added details: "The children mostly presented with high fever, sore throat, and red rash all over their bodies, which are typical symptoms of scarlet fever. We temporarily set up an isolation area and provided preliminary protection guidance to the children's families, but we lacked professional epidemiological investigation and could not determine which other areas the peddler had visited."

Chen Jingshan listened and nodded, quickly taking notes from his notebook in his briefcase, the scratching sound of the pen on the paper particularly clear. After the three finished speaking, he looked up at the accompanying staff and his voice suddenly rose: "First group, immediately contact Director Fang, unload the medicines, supplies, and isolation tents you brought, and take over the current treatment work. Make sure every child can get their medication!"

"The second group, the epidemiological investigation team, will go with Secretary Zhou to the village committee to find out the peddler's whereabouts and the list of people he came into contact with, and draw a transmission chain map. Give me the preliminary results in half an hour!"

"Third group, disinfection team, now conduct a comprehensive disinfection of the area within 300 meters of the clinic, focusing on densely populated areas such as wells, village entrances, and schools. We must not allow the germs to spread any further!"

The three instructions were clear and concise, and the accompanying staff immediately responded and acted. The once quiet clinic instantly became busy again. The back door of the truck carrying supplies was opened, and disinfection personnel in protective suits carried sprayers on their backs. The investigation team members had already followed Zhou Dahai toward the village committee.

Chen Jingshan then turned to Fang Yan and Wang Yuchuan, a look of approval on his face: "Director Fang, Professor Wang, you have done a great job. In the face of communication disruptions and a shortage of supplies, you were able to quickly make diagnoses, delineate isolation zones, and initially control the epidemic. This has exceeded the scope of routine emergency response. I will report your contributions to my superiors when I get back."

"This is what we should do. We came here to provide free medical consultations today, and it was just a coincidence that we happened to be here," Fang Yan quickly said.

At this moment, Wang Yuchuan said:

"I mainly want to thank Mr. Hu's factory for the material support. We were not enough materials today, but we were able to get some from his factory at the last minute, so we were able to hold on until now."

Zhou Dahai also added:
"Oh, right, the call was made from his factory."

Chen Jingshan, of course, knew about Lao Hu, this overseas Chinese businessman. He said to Wang Yuchuan:
"We will definitely thank him properly for this, and we will replace the supplies he used."

Old Hu certainly doesn't care about the supplies. As long as it can be publicized, using more supplies is not a big deal for him. It's just that Professor Wang Yuchuan hasn't forgotten to help with the publicity.

At this moment, Lao Hu was unaware that he was with Shi Min from CCTV, and they were taking pictures of the scene.

At this moment, Zhou Dahai remembered the Dongfeng Commune incident, and his brows furrowed again:
"By the way, leader, there's another thorny issue... We contacted Dongfeng Commune this morning, and their secretary said they hadn't found any cases, but our people saw the peddler going that way. Later, the people we sent reported that they suspected the other side was covering up the truth."

"Concealing information?" Chen Jingshan's face instantly darkened, his eyes sharpening. "You dare to conceal information at a time like this?!"

Fang Yan took the opportunity to explain the situation to him, and after listening to Fang Yan's analysis, Chen Jingshan agreed with his analysis.

So he immediately turned around and shouted to the liaison officer behind him, "Send someone to Dongfeng Commune and have them immediately conduct a full-scale investigation, especially for children who have been in contact with the peddler. Their body temperature must be recorded household by household. If anyone is found to have concealed their information, report it directly!"

The liaison officer responded and left. Chen Jingshan then turned to the other two staff members: "Each of you take a team and immediately go to the surrounding Hongxing Commune and Xiangyang Commune to conduct investigations according to our standards. Focus on children who have recently developed fever and rashes, and find the peddler's whereabouts. Tell the secretaries of each commune that during the epidemic prevention period, anyone who dares to be perfunctory will be suspended on the spot!"

"Yes!" The two men immediately accepted the order and quickly walked towards the jeep parked by the roadside.

After arranging the outer perimeter investigation, Chen Jingshan turned to look at Fang Yan, Wang Yuchuan, and Zhou Dahai:

"The three of you, the epidemic prevention team has just taken over and is not yet familiar with the situation. We'll need you to stay a while longer to help with the handover. We can't do this without you."

He first looked at Fang Yan, his gaze then falling on the medical records piled up beside the examination table:
“Director Fang, you were the first to recognize scarlet fever, and you know each child’s condition best. The first group has just arrived, and we don’t yet know the children’s medication history or recovery status. You have to check with each of them one by one: who used bezoar powder to blow into their throats, who applied ointment, who drank reed rhizome water and how much their temperature dropped, whether there were any complications such as convulsions or vomiting, and whether there are any other people with fever in their families. You must know all these details clearly.”

Chen Jingshan raised his hand and pointed to the medical record book: "There are also TCM treatment plans. Which ones are for severe cases of heat toxin entering the body, and which ones are for mild cases of clearing heat? Are there any special allergies? You have to explain it to them thoroughly. The treatment cannot be interrupted, and there can be no mistakes. The children's lives depend on this."

Fang Yan immediately nodded: "Don't worry, I'll organize it right away, make a list of each child's condition, and go over it with them one by one. I've made separate records of the medications for the critically ill patients to make sure nothing is missed."

"Okay." Chen Jingshan turned to Wang Yuchuan:
"Professor Wang, you need to work hard and provide professional guidance. The first group needs to review the cases. Could you explain to them the typical symptoms we've observed, such as high fever, pseudomembrane in the throat, and the distribution characteristics of the generalized rash, as well as the key points for differentiating it from the common cold and measles during the initial diagnosis? Also, could you please provide supplementary explanations regarding the basis for our previous protective measures, such as setting up isolation areas, wearing masks, and using lime for disinfection, so that the new team has a clear understanding?"

Wang Yuchuan pushed up his glasses:

"No problem. I'll prepare a symptom comparison table and demonstrate it to them later with case studies. I'll also explain the medical principles behind the protective measures to ensure they can maintain the existing prevention and control standards after taking over."

Chen Jingshan nodded. Finally, his gaze fell on Zhou Dahai, and he handed him a notebook:

“Secretary Zhou, the epidemiological investigation team urgently needs information about the peddler. You need to coordinate with the second team in detail. What are the peddler’s appearance, clothing, and any distinctive features? What day and time did he arrive at which village, which well did he drink water from, which villager did he talk to, and what did he buy? We need to sort out these timelines and routes.”

He paused:

"What did the people sent to Dongfeng Commune see? Were the sick children hidden, or did the health clinic not investigate at all? Which wells in our commune have been sealed off? Who are the liaisons in each village? Which commune members were previously organized for disinfection? You have to report all this information to the epidemiological investigation team, one by one. They need this information to draw the transmission chain."

Zhou Dahai quickly put the notebook into his pocket:
"Boss, no problem, I remember everything! I asked several villagers about the peddler's characteristics, and I also drew a rough map of the route. I had the people who went to Dongfeng Commune write down the situation. I'll take the epidemiological investigation team to the village committee now and make sure to hand over all the information."

Chen Jingshan nodded in satisfaction and glanced at his watch.
"Time is tight, so we'll split into three groups. Director Fang will go to the clinic to coordinate with the first group, and Professor Wang will go with them to review the cases; Secretary Zhou will lead the second group to the village committee, and we need to get started with the epidemiological investigation as soon as possible. I'll stay here and keep an eye on the disinfection team, and we can communicate anytime if there are any problems."

At this moment, Zhou Dahai said:

"Boss, it's almost noon. Shouldn't we let everyone have lunch first? They've been working non-stop since morning!"

Chen Jingshan was taken aback, then slapped his forehead:
"Look at my brain! I was so focused on arranging work that I forgot about eating!"

He immediately shouted to the logistics personnel not far away:
"Xiao Zhang! Distribute the dry food and hot water we brought with us! Give each comrade two steamed buns, a packet of pickled vegetables, and a bowl of hot water; as for the families of the sick children, have the canteen quickly cook some thin porridge and distribute it with the steamed buns. If the children can't eat the dry food, feed them some rice water first."

After the arrangements were completed, the food distribution began.

At this moment, Lao Hu walked over and asked Fang Yan:

"What's going on? They've taken over and won't let you leave?"

He said in dialect:

"I can't leave for now; there are still many things that need to be handed over."

Old Hu asked in a low voice:
"After working so hard all morning, all you're eating now is steamed buns and pickled vegetables, and drinking boiled water?"

He said in dialect:

"We're just facing limited conditions, so let's work it out."

Old Hu smacked his lips and said:
"Tsk, I'll go to the factory canteen and ask them to bring me some food."

Before he could answer in dialect, he heard someone calling his name:
"Dr. Fang, Dr. Fang!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Li Ping and Yang Yuanchao, who had gone to Dongfeng Commune, had finally returned.

Li Ping and Yang Yuanchao practically stumbled over, their hair covered in dust, their cheeks flushed, and their chests heaving, clearly having rushed back.

Yang Yuanchao was still clutching a crumpled notebook in his hand, the corners of which were soaked with sweat.

When they saw them return, the others gathered around.

They looked like they had just returned from fleeing a disaster.

"Dr. Fang! Professor Wang! Secretary Zhou, something terrible has happened!" Li Ping grabbed Fang Yan's arm, her voice filled with panic.

"There are twelve sick children hidden in Dongfeng Commune! Five of them are already unconscious from the fever!"

These words were like a thunderbolt, instantly igniting an uproar among the crowd who had just quieted down and were about to eat.

Chen Jingshan immediately strode over:

"Don't rush, tell me slowly, what exactly happened?"

Li Ping glanced at Chen Jingshan, not knowing who he was.

"These are leaders from above," Zhou Dahai said to them.

Yang Yuanchao, panting heavily, handed over the notebook: "When we arrived at Dongfeng Commune, we didn't go to the commune first. We sent Andong there. We walked around the brigade and were shocked to find that many families had sick children. The youngest was only two years old, and his neck was covered with red rashes. His voice was so hoarse that he couldn't even cry!"

“The barefoot doctor in their village didn’t recognize it as scarlet fever at all. He treated it as a cold and gave the children fever reducers, which only made their condition worse!” Li Ping added, “One of the mothers secretly told me that she noticed something was wrong with her child the day before yesterday, but the commune secretary said that ‘reporting it would get her criticized,’ so he suppressed the conversation and hid all the children with symptoms, saying it was ‘to prevent them from infecting others.’ It’s utterly ridiculous!”

Wang Yuchuan's face was ashen, his fingers clenched into fists: "This is utterly reckless! Delayed treatment of scarlet fever can lead to nephritis and myocarditis. If those comatose children had been discovered any later, they would have been in grave danger!"

It has now been confirmed that Fang Yan's guess was correct; the truth was indeed concealed.

"Covering up! Covering up again!" Chen Jingshan's voice was filled with barely suppressed anger. He snatched the notebook from Yang Yuanchao's hand and quickly flipped through the records of sick children's names, symptoms, and home addresses. His knuckles turned white from the force. "What does this Dongfeng Commune secretary think the lives of ordinary people are?!"

He turned around abruptly and roared at the people around him, "Catch up with the people we're investigating and go straight to the brigade. This Dongfeng Commune secretary deliberately concealed the scarlet fever outbreak, causing at least twelve children to miss treatment. Once they arrive, suspend him from his duties and investigate him immediately!"

P.S.: I got 100 more monthly votes, so finishing this chapter will balance things out again.

(End of this chapter)