More Tests, More Results

We finally got some news about the blood tests. She is not a carrier; in fact her blood holds the cure. She developed antibodies against the infection unlike everyone else. They had to do numerous tests to see if the antibodies attack when the blood is exposed to the virus. The antibodies were so efficient at wiping out the virus, no traces remained in a matter of minutes. They were able to isolate the antibodies and through a process I don't quite understand, were able to generate several vials of the cure which were used to test on animals first, then on human infected. It took several tries to get the formulation correct to eliminate side effects like tremors and high fevers. The military and the NIH are still working out the particulars on how to perform a global-scale distribution to cure all living infected. Once that is done, the clean-up and mass-burial process can begin. It's absolutely staggering to consider how many people have died in the wake of this biological tragedy.

Out of curiosity, I asked the scientists what made my wife immune when no one else was. They explained that she was exposed to a milder form of this virus which presented itself as a very aggressive flu. During the winter of 1999, we were living out in the country and my wife came down with a very strong illness that by all appearances looked like influenza. This earlier strain works by attacking the bodies potassium supply in the brain. The brain is a great place for a virus or bacteria since there are less antibodies there.

I recall that brush with infection in years past. My wife was hospitalized for a week due to how strong this illness was. The attending physician told me that he'd seen this in several patients, none of which survived to this point. The reason they failed to survive was not getting proper medical attention in time. In my mind, I suspect it may have been some biological weapon that escaped from a lab though I have no proof of this. The delirium and high fever were the same but my wife survived it. Her temperature at its peak was 105.6 and her blood pressure was dangerously high. The attending put her in a room with a crash cart in case she had heart failure. They flooded her system with extra potassium to give her body a chance to fight. It was touch and go for most of the week, but she did make it.