#chickungunya

(These are all based on my real life experiences.)

“You can tell it’s deadly by the black and white markings,” your teacher says. She is pointing to a drawing of a mosquito. "Are all black and white things bad?” Your classmate asks. “Aren’t zebras good?” “No,” you tell her. “This is a corrupted zebra. A zebra of death.”

You close every door at 5:30. You shutter every window at 5:30. You do not go outside at 5:30. The sun sets at the same time every day, and its setting is deadly. Death looms in the half light. There is no life in the twilight zone.

Buckets are evil. Barrels are evil. Puddles are evil. Children must be taught this. Your teacher holds a demonstration. Every kid in your class takes a cup full of water and pours it on the floor. You chant “Dengue down the drain! Dengue down the drain!” You all feel good about yourselves for a brief moment, but you know, deep down, that you will never wash away the fear.

The sprayers are here. The deadly mist swirls through the air. You hide, but the insecticide is inescapable. It envelops you. You have sensory issues. The mist hurts. Everything hurts. You curl up on the floor and remind yourself that this is a net good. “Better in pain than dead. Better in pain than dead...”

You wake up in the night and your covers have fallen off. The window is open. You can hear the buzzing. You can feel the bites. There is screaming. You are screaming. The world is screaming.

You have the fever. Your family has the fever. Half your country has the fever. The schools are closed because of the fever. The hospital is full because of the fever. You can’t move. You can’t hold down food. Your head is exploding. You are on fire. You lie in bed at home and burn. You can’t get treatment. The hospital is full. The hospital is reserved for the dying.

You realise that you are not alone. Your family is not alone. Your country is not alone. There are millions of people like you. Millions fear the zebras of death. Millions hide at dusk. Millions burn.

And millions have the power to help. Millions who don’t hide. Millions who don’t burn. Millions who don’t fear. Millions who don’t care.

Wayne J - Chickungunya - Sept 2014