The Perfect Pathogen

by Mark Atkisson

  “How about I do a little research and contact some of our graduates to see how they are doing. If this is a wider problem, then they could be at risk,” she said, taking a deep breath.

  “Good idea. Maybe I am overreacting, but be prepared for some bad news.”

  “I sure will. Oh, by the way, the Tri-County Council of Churches meeting is this afternoon. Are you planning on briefing them on our expansion?”

  “Yes. I am putting the finishing touches on my presentation. I have a call into Mr. Walters to see if he has time to meet with me this morning. I want to see if he is willing to make up the difference if we put in the infrastructure for full expansion.”

  Rob checked his email and messages and saw that Mr. Walters had scheduled a meeting for 10 a.m. As he headed out to meet him, Rob thought that he had nothing to lose: the worst that could happen is that he could give him some good advice, but no money. The best would be advice and money.

  When Rob arrived, Mr. Walters was still in his sweat gear, having just finished his morning walk along the water of his 3,000 acre property. He was a self-made man and had built a flourishing farm hardware supply business from nothing. He sold the business for millions of dollars when he was in his 70’s and, along with his many other investments, it made him one of the richest men in Calvert County. He had just turned 88 years old and was still in great shape. When asked how old he wanted to be, he would always say that he expected to live to 110 years of age. And his doctors agreed.

  Mr. Walters had always been a generous donor to regional charities. He had more money than he needed and wanted to help the communities that had made him welcome and had helped him make his fortune. He had been particularly generous with Rob since they had something in common. Mr. Walters’ great grandson had been born with Down Syndrome too, like Hope, and he was now attending classes at the Independent Living Center run by Rob.

  “Hi Rob, how are you doing today?” asked Will, whose full name was Beauregard Wilbur Walters.

  “Actually it has been a tough day,” Rob replied. “One of our students died last night. It seems he had a seizure. The more I reflect on it, the more I think there might be something going around. My wife works at CDC, as you know, and she is doing some research on it today. There have been a number of people in the group she monitors that are over 100 years old that have died in the last several days too. I doubt if this is related, but you never know.”

  “Well, if there is something going around, let’s hope it doesn’t affect too many people. I remember stories from my parents of the flu epidemic around 1919 and they said it was horrifying. Anyway, what can I do for you today?”

  “I am here for your advice and any financial support you can provide the Center,” said Rob, getting straight to the point. He explained the expansion plans, and the idea of developing an infrastructure that would allow for further growth at a huge savings. He also discussed the meeting he would be having with the Council of Churches later in the day.

  “Well, I think it is a great idea to save money by putting in the infrastructure for the additional pods. That is what you called them, right, pods? I see your numbers for the increased infrastructure. About how much do you think it will cost you down the road to build the additional pods and when do you think you will want to do that expansion?”

  “I am thinking that the additional pods will go in after I raise the money, which will take about four to five years. I think I will need another $1.5 million to complete all of the work.”

  “Four to five years, heck I might be dead by then,” Will chuckled. “The work you are doing there is way too important to put this off. What say you if I give you a check for $2 million today to cover the cost of the expanded infrastructure and the additional pods? Then you only need the Council of Churches to chip in the $500K. I think they should be able to come up with it. I gave them a donation for just this sort of thing about two months ago that would easily cover this and the other projects they have in mind.”

  “Will, this is fantastic,” Rob responded gratefully. “I’ll contact the project manager immediately to change the permit to allow the completion of the entire project. You are a godsend. Thank you.”

  “Anytime,” said Will. “Anyhow, I’ve thought long and hard about this to myself already and spoken with my accountant. We are only on this earth for a short time and we need to do the best we can for others. Have a great day, Rob”

  “I already have,” said Rob as he got in his car and headed back to the Center. He made a quick stop by the bank to deposit the eye-popping check, still recovering from the sudden surprise. While he was standing at the cashier window, the astonished bank manager called Mr. Walters to verify the check and the money was then duly deposited into Rob’s business account. With only $500K left to raise, and the prospect of completing the entire project within his grasp, he allowed himself a moment of congratulation, pushing the sadness of his student’s death to one side for just a moment.

  At St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Prince Frederick, Rob was welcomed into the meeting room by the members of the Council of Churches, aware that Mr. Walter’s money had partially funded the space. He had met with most of the council one-on-one previously and they all understood the project, so he gave just a brief outline and then told them about his successful meeting that morning, and how the extra donation could be used to fund additional buildings. The council, buoyed by Mr. Walter’s generosity, agreed to write a check for the remaining $500K on the spot.

  At the end of the meeting Rob approached Father Jones, the pastor of the church where the meeting was held. “Hello, Father,” said Rob. “I have a question to ask you that may seem strange. Have you seen an increase in illness in your parish lately?”

  “It is funny you should ask,” Father Jones replied. “There has been an increase in hospitalizations and several deaths in the last two days. The deaths have all been among the elderly, one was 85 and one was 91. Strange indeed. It’s not even flu season. I’ve wondered about this myself, but I haven’t seen any comment on it in the news. Have you had any problems at the Center?”

  “We lost one of our students to a seizure last night. My assistant is watching closely over our flock today, ready to call the paramedics at any sign of a problem.”

  “I know we have several of our parish families that have children at your Center,” Father Jones said. “I believe you know them all personally. Please let me know if there are any problems or if you need any church support. We will keep all of the sick in our prayers.”

  “Thank you for your prayers and support, Father,” said Rob as he said good-bye. He wondered if he should call Katie to tell her what was going on. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed. He wanted to tell her about the good news and the bad news but there was no answer at her office and her cell phone was turned off, so he left a message.

  Since he was in the vicinity of the County offices Rob stopped by to see if Hope was at work. She was and it was about time for her afternoon break, so he waited for a few minutes and then they went across the street for an afternoon snack.

  “What a nice surprise,” said Hope.

  “I was in the area and wanted to see how you were doing,” said Rob. “So, how is your day?”

  “Classes today were fun. I discussed my business plan project with my group and everyone really liked it. Thank you for your help with it. I find the more I learn, the more I can relate to my job with the county. The people in my classes and the people at work are always so nice to me. I really like it here, dad.”

  Rob considered telling Hope about the student who had died last night, but he thought it would be better to wait until she was at home this evening. She only attended classes at the Center on the weekends while she was working, so he had until then to figure out how to break it to her. She was close to all of the students at the Center, and in many instances they looked up to her because of her perseverance and her unwavering attitude. They all knew she could accomplish anything tha
t she put her mind to. Rob agreed. Her goal was to have her own business someday and there was no doubt in Rob’s mind that she would climb that mountain.

  “Well, I’d better let you get back to work. I will see you at home later today.” Rob gave her a kiss on the cheek as he left her at the door to the office. She was growing in independence and self-confidence, and he was so proud of her. His smile, as he walked away, stretched from ear-to-ear.

  Rob arrived back at the Center in the late afternoon. Marge met him as he pulled up. “Everything ok Marge?”

  “Yes, everything here seems to be ok. I did get a call from a friend who said her grandmother, aged 98, passed away today. I immediately thought about what you told me. I have only had a chance to call a handful of graduates, and so far everything is ok. Have you heard anything else?”

  “Yes, I talked to Father Jones at St. John Vianney and he indicated that they’ve seen an increase in illnesses and two deaths, and both were elderly. I’ll wager there is something going around, but I hope we’ve seen the last of it among our students.”

  “Me too. I don’t think I can handle the emotional stress, particularly if young people are being touched. Let’s hope there’s no more bad news.”

  CHAPTER 7

  That morning Katie had been caught in a whirlwind of activity. Things were moving so very fast. By 10 a.m. she had already found herself sitting in on a video conference with the Washington Director of the CDC and the Chief of Pandemic research, awaiting the video conference with the Director of the CDC in Atlanta and the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Exactly at ten, the call started. In addition, as a surprise, there was a link up with the White House. Katie started to perspire. This was really moving fast, she thought to herself.

  The Director of the CDC, Dr. Bob Gleeson started by thanking everyone for their attendance and then he asked for introductions. Besides the group with Katie, in attendance were the Secretary of HHS, the Director of the CDC, the National Security Advisor, and several members of the President’s staff.

  Sarah Lin, the Washington Director of the CDC, outlined the situation so far, explaining the sudden, multiple deaths of unknown cause, the increase in an illness that displays symptoms of stroke, with the mortality rate among the elderly is at least twenty times higher than normal. She also reported the anecdotal evidence that groups, other than the elderly, may be affected.

  Dr. Shah had then taken over, explaining the research that was in progress to try to isolate the cause of the illness. He expected that it would take several weeks and then the CDC would have to develop a vaccine to counter the effects of the pathogen. That could take several months. He indicated that he had his best CDC scientists on the job and he was optimistic the cause could be isolated.

  “I think it is only a matter of time before the press picks up on the fact that people are dying at a faster rate than normal,” said Dr. Bob Gleeson. “We need to make a statement to the public at the earliest opportunity, even if we don’t know for sure what is happening. It is the only way to keep the press from making the crisis look bigger that it is,” the CDC Director said with emphasis.

  The National Security Advisor, Jim Redman, having listened to the statements, stepped in, stamping his authority on the collective.

  “I believe this has risen to the level of a National Security Issue. We, and by that I mean the White House, will take the lead on any press statements. The President will expect press silence from the CDC and HHS. We’ll handle all press comments from the White House for the time being. We need a briefing paper for the President within two hours,” he added. “We need to go public with something before one of the cable news channels goes off half-cocked. Therefore, I will plan on the President making a statement regarding this matter in the next eight hours, after he consults with our major allies and other world leaders. This is quite serious and the way we handle this is of vital importance to the U.S – and, indeed, to the rest of the world.”

  The discussion then changed to contingency plans. They all knew the standard answer to a pandemic was to isolate the patient from others in order to prevent the spread. But in this instance they didn’t know how the disease was spread or if it even was a virus. Until they had that basic information what course of action should they take? A prudent person may have everyone work from home and to cease going to locations where large groups gather, for example, a church or a grocery store. Should everyone break out face masks and duct tape their windows shut? There didn’t seem to be any respiratory problems in the patients who had died. They all agreed that universal hand-washing should be emphasized and that the President had a tough decision to make.

  “Enough discussion,” Jim Redman said. “I need the decision paper in my hands in ninety minutes. This may be the most important paper you have ever written, so make it count. I want to stress that no one is to discuss this with anyone outside this room until after the President makes his statement. Now let me ask, has anyone discussed this with anyone who is not here?”

  Katie spoke up, “Earlier this morning I had a discussion with an ER doctor at one of the local hospitals. I said I was from the CDC collecting statistics. If asked, he probably would remember he talked to me and he has my contact information.”

  “Oh shit,” said Jim bluntly. “That makes this all the more urgent. The morgues must be filling up and the police have got to notice the increase in their reports workload. So, let’s get this going as soon as possible.”

  An hour later a draft paper was circulating among all of the players, laying out the basic premise of the problem and setting out three recommended courses of action.

  The first, and most conservative option, was to implement the government contingency plans for a flu pandemic that had been developed about ten years earlier when there was a threat of the H1N1 virus devastating the population. Of course this would shut down local governments and the economy in affected areas. In the current case, early reports indicated that the entire United States and much of the rest of the world was affected, so this didn’t seem to be a plausible solution, but it needed to be on the table nonetheless.

  The next option was to recommend to people that they not congregate in large crowds, wash their hands frequently, and wear a protective face mask to help prevent the spread of airborne illnesses, just in case the illness turned out to be transmitted from person-to-person by respiration.

  The third option was to inform the public of the problem and tell them that the United States, with world partners, was looking for a solution. That major CDC, military, civilian medical and international teams were on the case 24/7. That we expect to know the cause in the next several weeks, after which an antidote vaccine will be developed to stop the spread of the illness.

  The CDC’s recommendation was a mix of option two and three. They didn’t want to alarm people by suggesting that it was an airborne illness spread from person-to-person, but at the same time they wanted to explain that it could be and what precautions could be taken.

  The HHS Secretary, Dr. Jennifer Milton, put the finishing touches on the decision paper and transferred it to Jim Redman for action. Then she called Jim on the secure line. “Jim, whatever decision the President makes it will have grave consequences. We need to be prepared to reach out to the State governments and our global partners immediately after this goes public. I have yet to call my contact at the World Health Organization, but I can only imagine that their alarm bells are already going off. If you can give me a few minutes advance notice, I can also call them just before the President prepares to make his statement.”

  “Will do,” said Jim. “It will be difficult to contain this, so let me get back to you when the President has made his decision. Also, know that there will be a Cabinet meeting scheduled forty-five minutes after he makes his remarks. So, you’ll want to be at the White House for the remarks and the follow-on meeting.”

  “Got it. We will continue to collect information and I will let you know immediately if there
is any breakthrough,” said Jennifer.

  By the time Katie noticed the message from Rob on her cell phone, she had already had a very long day. She decided to call him when she got back to her office, her journey there fuelled by the conflicting thoughts that were racing through her mind. She was concerned for her beloved group of centenarians: she felt that she had all but abandoned them at the conference, and wanted to speak to her assistant, Beth, to see how the tour of the Museum of Natural History was going. She had received a garbled message from her earlier, but had been so tied up with the task at hand that she didn’t take it in. Now she was in a full anxiety mode, and she needed to reach Beth to be reassured that all was well.

  When Katie reached the office she saw the message light blinking on her work phone. The first message was from Beth. She said that the conference was continuing, but that several more attendees had gone to the hospital today. The next message was from Melody, Herb’s wife. Her voice was shaky, almost hysterical. Tears welled up in Katie’s eyes and she felt nauseous, fearing the worst. She suddenly desperately felt the need to talk to Rob, and dialed his cell phone.

  Katie started to cry the second he picked up, and pleaded with him to tell her that he and the children were all OK.

  “Of course we are, honey,’ he said, soothingly. “Everyone just arrived home and we are getting ready to go to the Mexican restaurant since we knew you would be late again.”

  Katie’s relief was audible. “Oh Rob, it has been a horrible day. I can’t speak about it over the phone, but I am coming home now before I have to face any more problems. The President is supposed to make a statement on the TV in a few minutes. You should tune in. I will listen to it on the radio. It is important. I’ll tell you the rest when I get home. I should be home in forty-five minutes, so please be there when I arrive. I need you.”