#panzi

Another mysterious infectious fatal disease has emerged outside the US.

At least 79 people have died from an unknown disease that is causing flu-like symptoms in south-western Democratic Republic of Congo, the health ministry says. The health ministry says the majority of people who have died are between the ages of 15 and 18. More than 300 people have been infected with patients exhibiting symptoms like fever, headaches, runny noses and coughs, breathing difficulties and anaemia.

If you do the math, this infection has a death rate of over 25%. It also targets young people like the deadly "Spanish Flu" pandemic of 1918-1919. Being "flu-like" means it may be difficult to distinguish from typical seasonal influenza. That also implies that it could easily be transmitted like the flu.

Response teams have been sent to Kwango Province, specifically the Panzi health zone, where the disease is most common, to manage cases and investigate the nature of the disease. Cephorien Manzanza, a civil society leader, told Reuters news agency the situation was worrying as the number of infected people continues to rise. "Panzi is a rural health zone, so there is a problem with the supply of medicines," he said. A World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa region official told the BBC they have "dispatched a team to the remote area to collect samples for lab investigations". Authorities have urged the population to remain calm and vigilant.

Kwango Province is adjacent to the region where the capital Kinshasa (pop. 17 million) is located.

If the Kwango infection spreads to the US after Trump's inauguration, we would be in even worse shape than when COVID-19 came to the US. Instead of Dr. Anthony Fauci, we'd have anti-vaxxing quacks like RFK Jr. and other clowns running American public health.

Trump himself would try to underplay a new pandemic the way he did in 2020. In case you've forgotten, this was his reaction to the first case of COVID in the US...

Trump waited until March 13th to declare a state of emergency. COVID had already spread to most of the US during the 50 days he hoped the infection would just go away on its own.

Urge your US senator to reject any Trump public health nominee who does not accept standard scientific and medical thinking related to infectious diseases.

Wu Xie: ...

Panzi:

holds up Chen Jingyi I made this! He's my lil art guy, and I love him!

Panzi has taught Wu Xie everything he knows, but it's still not enough to calm his nerves. When WU Xie asks to attend university, Panzi contacts an old friend and Wu Xie finally meets his master.

Snippet:

Panzi cursed the sun. He was half blind in its direct glare, almost completely unable to see the flying roundhouse kick launched at him by Wu Xie. He blocked it—barely—his lower arm bristling with pain as Wu Xie’s leg collided, bone ringing against bone. Wu Xie hissed and landed, leaping to kick once more, but Panzi followed him, circling around until the mid-summer sun burned the back of his neck. Now able to see, he ducked under Wu Xie’s second kick and like lightning, pushed the landing young man off balance. Wu Xie stumbled but stayed on his feet.  A flash of soft fabric and warm cream danced in the corner of Panzi’s vision, and he almost forgot himself, catching and redirecting Wu Xie’s punch at the last second before turning it into a hasty arm bar. Wu Xie squirmed, trying to wriggle free, leaving Panzi mere seconds to catch his breath. Wu Xie had finally caught up to his speed. Only experience kept Panzi a hair’s breadth ahead of him in their sparring. However, despite his impressive speed, the boy had yet to reach Panzi’s level of strength, if he even could. He took after his father even after a decade of training, staying skinny no matter how much food Panzi put in front of him.  “Ow! Ow ow ow! I give!” Panzi released the arm bar, and they both crawled to their feet, panting and sweating in the burning sun.  “You did well, Xiao-Xie. You almost had me,” Panzi said, pulling Wu Xie up with him. It was only a matter of time before Wu Xie was beating him every time they sparred. 

From the Daomu Biji manhua on Bilibili.