by Ken Ward
The comment drew a collective chuckle from many passengers.
“Again, on behalf of myself, my co-pilot Denise Hogue and the flight crew, we sincerely hope you enjoy your flight and enjoy your time in sunny, rainy Florida. Thank you for flying with RepublicAir.”
“Notice he said 'co' pilot?” Maura said, looking at me. “He didn't make her out to be lesser than him. Notice how that's done?”
I didn't take the bait. I just nodded slightly and turned my attention back to my phone. The screen was still blank. I pressed and held the button on the side to restart it and a black square with white text appeared. 'UPDATE IN PROGRESS. PLEASE WAIT.' A few seconds later my phone's main screen displayed. My main screen was a photo of Kathy and Me in front of the Eiffel Tower. I wish I could say it was the real one, but actually it was the one in Vegas. I noticed a Clackzi shortcut had installed at the bottom of my main screen. I opened my text messenger.
You: finally in the air...i have stories for you
Kathy: good! oh yeah? do tell
You: cant here...not in present company…
Kathy: :(
You: dont worry...i'll tell all later
Kathy: feeling any better?
You: no, worse if anything
Kathy: :(
Kathy: like, what's wrong specifically
You: same as before, whole body aches, head is pounding, cold sweats, my throat kills, sneezing, coughing, sinuses on fire, stomach feels off, like nausea or whatever...im a wreck babe
Kathy: yeh that does not sound good
Kathy: id nurse you back to health if u were here
You: i know...wishing now i didnt have to leave...good for career though
Kathy: thats rite, thats a good way to look at things
Kathy: you have clackzi yet?
You: yup...do you like it?
Kathy: i dunno yet, phone was acting weird at first, seems fine now, not sure this does anything
You: yeah...i don't know
Kathy: oh boss coming, gotta go, love you xoxo
You: love you xox
I sat looking out the window for a minute as we passed through a bank of clouds and I saw the sun for the first time in nearly a week. It was then that I remembered why I didn't like sunshine on days when I was sick. There was something about the contrast. The clear blue sky didn't reflect the dark clouds occupying me on the inside. At least when it was overcast outside I felt like the world was commiserating with how I felt. Being sick in beautiful weather made for a constant reminder that at an existential level you were missing out. Suddenly I was looking forward to Miami a whole lot less than I was.
I pulled up Twitter on my phone. A famous movie director that I followed posted a funny meme about long flights. I hit 'REPLY' and tapped out a message.
@mattgravenhurst91bos: LOL Its so true. And pro tip: dont get on flight when ur sick as a dog. I feel rly terrible but have 2 hit up conference in Miami anyway #fml
A few seconds later my phone beeped indicating someone had replied to my tweet.
@cilicanya000g0oooll1pq: I'd say that definitely qualifies as a first world problem
Really? That's what this person decided to reply with? What's with people? Of course, I felt I had to reply.
@mattgravenhurst91bos: I guess. I was just saying it sucks I have to go to this thing when I feel so crappy.
@cilicanya000g0oooll1pq: oh poor you. you're typing that while u r on a plane. you know how many ppl in the world can afford that? get over yourself #whiteprivilege
Holy crap. That's what I remember thinking. I can't escape the madness. I didn't bother replying. I switched off my phone and closed my eyes. I heard my phone beep to indicate another twitter reply had come in, but I didn't dare check it. I leaned back as much as I could and tried to let the vibration of the plane's engines carry me off to slumber-land.
CHAPTER 5
I might have slept for all of five minutes. My body was in full revolt. Every time I swallowed the searing pain in my throat made my eyes water. I was almost choking on saliva as I did all I could to not swallow too often. My sinuses were so clogged I felt as though I was underwater breathing through a straw. Each time I coughed I could feel a thick sludge rumbling in my chest. My face was a permanent frown, stuck in a pained expression. It hurt just to sit. My entire body throbbed. If you'd given me a cyanide pill in that moment, I probably would've taken it. The worst part of all, I could tell I was on the verge of vomiting. I had stabbing pain in my gut and I had that heavy feeling under my jaw line that told me something was coming.
“Excuse me,” I said to Maura as I shimmied past her to the aisle. She was in full recoil, totally disgusted with my presence. I locked myself into one of the tiny bathrooms at the back just in time as puke just exploded out of me with alarming ferocity. I'm pretty sure it was even flowing out of my nostrils. One wave would pass through and I'd gasp for air and then full convulsions would return and once again I'd launch another mass of vomit into the vacuum toilet. This went on for ten minutes before I had any significant break in the rounds of throw-up. I had folded myself onto the floor with my knees up to my chest, my arm rested on the side of the toilet and my back leaned against the door. A thought occurred to me that other people toward the back of the plane and the flight crew might have been able to hear me being violently ill even with the noise of the engines, then I'd thought of the potential line of people who might have been waiting to use the bathroom. I was beyond caring at that point. That heavy feeling returned and the muscles in my legs were in full spasm, then the muscles in my abdomen contracted and once again the vomit flew out of my throat, past my teeth into the toilet. The last wave was the worst, it had to have lasted at least a few minutes of near continuous barfing. I wouldn't have wished that on my worst enemy. My stomach settled and felt like an empty balloon. I hurt everywhere else, but I was glad to have the feeling that the throwing up was over.
I got to my feet and checked myself over to see if I'd managed to avoid getting any puke on my clothes or had any stuck to my face. Turns out I had done a good job of keeping myself clean. I grabbed some toilet tissue and wiped the edges of my mouth. My nostrils burned. The taste in my mouth was awful. I drank some water from the tap and attempted to flush out my nose as well. I popped a lozenge in my mouth that I hoped would mask the terrible odor of vomit on my breath. I pulled out my cell phone and called Kathy.
“Hey,” she said, “are you still in the air?”
“Yep, for a while yet,” I said. “I really don't feel good. I just puked my guts out. I'm in the bathroom.” I tried to keep my voice as low as I could because I was sure the flight crew wouldn't be keen on a passenger tying up a bathroom talking on the phone.
“I'm sorry you're feeling so bad,” Kathy said. “Have you tried to sleep?”
“I have, but my throat is so sore, and my sinuses are so filled up and my lungs, it's hard to breathe.”
“Yeah. That sucks.”
“You're telling me,” I said, “anyway, I won't keep you, I know you're working, I just wanted to hear your voice.”
“Aw, well, I hope you do manage to get some sleep between now and when you land.”
“We'll see.”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you too, bye.”
I slid my phone back in my pocket then checked myself one last time in the mirror. As soon as I opened the door I felt self-conscious as though everyone's eyes would be on me. I stepped from the tiny vestibule and noticed a flight attendant at the back looking at me with concerned eyes. She had to have heard me, I thought to myself. I walked to our row and Maura looked annoyed at my return. Jeremy glanced at me like you might glance at an insect in your salad. I slunk back down into my seat and coughed as gently as I could into a tissue. A small bit of phlegm dislodged from somewhere deep within and missed the tissue, instead landing on my leg. My hand snapped forward to conceal it hopefully before anyone saw it, but no, too late.
“That is disgusting,” Mau
ra said without modulating her voice at all. The men seated ahead of us turned their nosy heads back toward us once again.
“What is?” Jeremy said.
“Whatever that was that flew out of his mouth just now,” she said.
“Sorry,” I said, “I can't help it.”
“Don't think we don't know what you were doing in the bathroom,” Maura said, “you shouldn't be on this flight. You're going to get us all sick.”
“Were you throwing up in the bathroom?” Jeremy asked.
I nodded. The men in the row ahead of us turned back forward.
“Your symptoms seem like their all over the map,” Jeremy said, “you're throwing up, you're coughing. You look terrible.”
Maura caught the attention of a flight attendant passing by. “I had asked before about moving seats. Can we take care of that right now?” She said. “I cannot sit beside this person anymore. He's going to get us all sick.”
The flight attendant looked at me and I shamefully averted my eyes to the floor. “What's the matter, sir?” The attendant said to me. “Is it just a cold or?”
“I don't know,” I said, “I think it's the flu.”
“Do you have nausea, body aches, that kind of thing?” She asked.
“Yes, plus sinus congestion. My lungs are filled up too.”
“That's awful,” she said, “I'm sorry you're not feeling well.”
“Anyway,” Maura said, “can you please move me?”
“I'd like to move seats as well,” Jeremy said.
The flight attendant looked at them both and shook her head. “I'm sorry,” she said, “that's not possible. This flight is full. There are no empty seats.”
Maura flung herself back in her seat like a petulant child. She folded her arms so hard I thought they might break. “That's unacceptable,” she said. “I've flown RepublicAir so many times and they've always accommodated me.”
“I'm sorry, ma'am, we just don't have the space on this flight.” The attendant turned her attention back toward me. “Is there anything I can get for you sir, that could help you feel more comfortable?”
“Him?” Maura said, “what about us?”
The attendant ignored Maura's comment. I pointed toward the storage bins overhead. “A blanket,” I said, “may I have one, please?”
“Of course.”
The attendant reached overhead and pulled out a blue and red RepublicAir blanket and then handed it to me. I spread the blanket over me as best I could considering I was sitting almost straight up. The flight attendant left and walked up the aisle toward the front of the plane. She was a lot nicer than the attendants who'd spoken to us who seemed to be the one's stationed at the back. I guessed that was how they did things on flights. Some covered the front, some covered the back? I had no idea, but I wished that that lady was covering the back for the entire flight.
With the blanket covering most of my upper body and my thighs, I leaned the seat back slightly. Turning my head away from Maura, I closed my eyes and tried to push any and all thoughts from my head. This lasted for all of about thirty seconds when suddenly my phone began vibrating repeatedly as though an alarm was going off. I pulled it out of my pocket and the entire screen shone bright red with 'WARNING' written across it in bold black letters.
CHAPTER 6
Checking on either side of me, I could tell without actually making it obvious that I was looking at them that both Maura and Jeremy were looking away from me, so I was pretty sure they couldn't see the bright red 'WARNING' screen on my phone. At least, that's what I'd hoped. I quickly swiped at the message and was taken to a 'Clackzi Analytics' screen that had a small cartoon graphic of a syringe in the upper left hand corner. A block of black text on a blue background popped up in the center of the screen, which read:
“Clackzi Analytics – Voice & Text Analysis – Information Sync – WARNING: Matthew, through information provided by you through data streams and cross-referencing with trusted medical databases and analyses of data streams from medical practitioners across the globe it has been determined you are a likely carrier of the recently discovered IGNA-3 virus. More info here: … “
There was a shortened link at the end of the text block. IGNA-3 virus? Data streams? Clackzi was listening in on my conversation with my girlfriend? Reading my texts? I guess, given the initial hype around the app, I shouldn't have been surprised by that. It was basically what I was signing up for when I'd downloaded it. Anyway, suffice it to say being told I'm probably carrying some newly discovered virus had me shaken up. As scared to click on that link as I was, I did it anyway. The browser on my phone opened and a website displayed that featured a picture of a bespectacled doctor holding the arm of a small child, surrounded by many other children, none of whom looked well. The crest for the World Health Organization appeared beneath the photo next to block text that read: 'GET INFORMED: IGNA-3'. I scrolled down and read the text beneath the headline:
“This month researchers from WHO and the CDC traveled to Bermuda, a U.K. protectorate, where a new and deadly virus, IGNA-3, had appeared for the first time and spread quickly. When it began to move out from the areas of its initial discovery, people became increasingly alarmed – both within the island territory and in its nearest neighboring territories, countries and trading partners.
From late October, 130 suspected, probable or confirmed IGNA-3 cases were reported, resulting in 130 deaths. This outbreak is unusually severe, and there are probable unknown carriers who have left Bermuda for other parts of the globe.
WHO has acted quickly, releasing funds and sending experts and supplies to Bermuda, while supporting the nearest territories and countries to try and reduce the risk of regional spread.
IGNA-3 is the newest, most deadly – and most feared among researchers – of all diseases. As of today, IGNA-3 has no known prevention strategy as it is transferable through the air, through touch and through bodily fluids. It cannot be treated with antibiotics and infection has not been prevented through the use of all known transmission precautions.
“An outbreak of this magnitude is like nothing portrayed by our history books,” said Dr. Gordon Plachette, Director of WHO’s Infectious Hazard Management Department. “IGNA-3 is a new disease, and the challenges it poses today are severe and fundamentally different from what we have previously experienced.”
Despite the relative isolation of Bermuda's location, IGNA-3's virulence has proven non-containable at this point. WHO expects further outbreaks.
So it is important to strike a balance between encouraging territories and countries in the region to be ready to act in case of an outbreak, while avoiding panic that could result in unnecessary or counterproductive measures such as trade restrictions or travel bans on affected countries.
Days after being alerted to the outbreak in Bermuda, WHO conducted an assessment to determine the risk of further spread. Taking into account the territory’s capacities and vulnerabilities, the assessment found that the overall risk of further spread at the national, regional and global level was, and remains, extreme.
WHO moved quickly to support the Her Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom and the Government of Bermuda to respond to the outbreak, while at the same time working with nearby countries and territories.
Bermuda's nearest neighbors: the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Cuba, Turks and Caicos and the West Indies were prioritized for increased IGNA-3 preparedness and surveillance. WHO has also helped the United Kingdom to raise preparedness levels because of their direct airline connections with Bermuda.
When WHO began to increase support for the Bermuda and U.K. Government’s response to the outbreak, one of the first places they went was the territory’s international airport. A WHO team advised on putting in place more robust and visible public health measures.
The strengthened exit screening system provides information about IGNA-3 to all travelers, screens passengers through temperature checks and medical questionnaires, and includes proc
edures to isolate and identify symptomatic passengers.
“The exit screening process tracks passengers from the moment they enter the airport until they board a flight. We also provided information to airline companies and spoke to airport medical personnel. We explained the disease and the risk,” said Dr Plachette.
For the eight priority regions, countries and territories, the first step was to identify weak points in preparedness and operational readiness. WHO and the CDC worked with global health authorities to complete an IGNA-3 outbreak checklist to assess their quarantine readiness, and to identify concrete actions to bridge gaps.
The checklist assesses national, regional and worldwide coordination mechanisms, and logistical, epidemiological, and laboratory surveillance capabilities. It verifies that Rapid Response Teams are ready to deploy, that risk communication and community engagement strategies are prepared, and that quarantine measures are in place at points of entry.
If gaps are identified, immediate steps are taken to address them. In Bermuda, WHO supported laboratory testing of suspected cases, deployed experts and medical supplies, and provided guidance for the tracing and treatment of contacts of people suspected to be infected.
In the United Kingdom, in addition to completing the checklist, WHO helped to address concerns about the high number of direct flights between Bermuda and the U.K. by supporting the Health Minister to communicate the measures being taken to strengthen quarantine preparedness at all levels.
WHO logistics teams also pre-positioned equipment and supplies – including personal protective equipment (PPE), antibiotics for secondary infections, and other equipment – in the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Cuba and Turks and Caicos.
The quick and coordinated efforts to strengthen IGNA-3 quarantine preparedness have also helped build regional outbreak response capacity more generally.
“We’ve accomplished a great deal in a short time, but more must be done to strengthen overall regional and worldwide health security,” said Dr. Abdul Nawaz, WHO Regional Emergencies Director for the WHO North American Region.