Antiphon
Page 30
“To be honest, it has been a breath of fresh air in the city, to not have hundreds of babies being born every day. It has taken the pressure off our services, and our doctors are much more relaxed.”
“It is the same in Nigeria. Something is definitely going on, that is why we have been summoned. I am looking forward to hearing what the investigative committee has to say in its report.”
“Yes, that will be interesting. I must say, whatever it is that has caused this big downturn in child births, it is a blessing. Mumbai, and many other of our cities, was bursting at the seams, and a slow-down in the number of babies, has brought a welcome relief. Personally, I hope it continues.”
The elevator arrived at the ground floor, and they alighted and headed out of their hotel, and towards the conference chamber in the adjacent building. Several other stragglers joined them. The meeting was called to order, and the chairman introduced the specialist, to give the report of his committee.
Yes, it was universal. There had been a dramatic downturn in childbirths in all eight countries they had been asked to investigate. Preliminary testing had found that many women were not menstruating, and appeared infertile. It had caused considerable anxiety among couples wanting children, with wives unable to conceive. It appeared there might be a common factor. Many of the women tested reported having contracted a mild dose of influenza, and their sexual activity appeared to have decreased since then. If the downturn in the birthrate was somehow related to the influenza virus, the causal factor was not understood, and was still under investigation. Further reports would be forthcoming in future months, as the committee did its work.
Delegates discussed the report for several hours, and at times the discussion became heated. It was apparent some were expressing concerns, impressed on them by multi-national corporations, whose businesses had been affected by the change. Most, however, expressed careful caution about the role WHO should be taking, other than to keep investigating. It was obvious, for most of those present, a downturn in child births in their home countries, was welcomed.
The final motion was to watch, wait, and see what developed, but take no action. Most of the delegates, talking quietly among themselves, thought the slow-down in births a blessing, for which they should all be grateful, and no one suggested that large sums of money should be directed towards further studying the issue. A committee had been set up, and the delegates would wait and see.
THE END