viral families that belonged to the same order had originated in a common ancestral virus.
Part of the confusion was due to the abundance and diversity of viruses, because, even though only five thousand had been identified, some experts claimed that there could be almost a million of them.
The ones that caused the diseases imitated the system of fabrication of proteins of the cell they invaded and then made copies of themselves until they finally owned the person.
Seeing that, Mr. Dionisio asked his students to conduct an exhaustive study on the fauna of the region where it had all started, considering the possibility that some imprudent local had eaten the wrong animal for breakfast and thus created the disease. According to the professor, the possibility of new diseases being transmitted from animals to humans had real foundations.
Dogs, monkeys, rats and bats were some of the animals that became suspects the moment there was an outbreak of a new disease. The latest accused, the Asian pangolin, had been freed of all charges, which was more of a reason to redouble their efforts to find the original transmitter.
“We must center our focus in the animal market,” said Mr. Dionisio, who had decided to put all his students’ knowledge as well as his own at the service of that urgent cause. “After research was done on bird flu, experts located the origin in some chickens that had been infected by fecal remains; excrements that had fallen from higher cages. Even though China has forbidden the consumption of wild animals, I doubt the prohibition had any real effect.”
“Why?” asked Óscar, who was fascinated by the topic. After all, his family lived in a farm surrounded by forests that were full of wild animals.
“Because it’s simply impossible to control fifteen hundred billion people with such deeply rooted traditions. Markets like the one in Wuhan, where wild and domestic animals mingle in the worst hygienic conditions, constitute the perfect habitat for viruses such as this one, which are astonishingly smart.”
“Viruses can’t be ‘smart’.”
“They must be. They were around thousands of years before us, and will still be here thousands of years after they finally finish us. Humans have hunted since the beginning of their existence, although not the numbers that they do now, and the ‘Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species’ has no jurisdiction in China, Vietnam or those African countries where people eat the uncooked meat and brains of dogs. That’s why the danger doesn’t lie on the consumption alone, but mostly on trade, and this could be a fantastic opportunity for the revision of laws on animal rights.” Mr. Dionisio was an expert in the topic and after a brief pause in which he caught his breath, he continued. “In many regions of Africa, Asia and South America, food stalls have a part that is visible from the street but also keep a back room where they hide forbidden species. The problem is that we can’t just tell the natives to stop eating something without providing them with an alternative.”
“And does that alternative exist?”
“It is said that humans use three thousand animal species for their consumption, but these numbers are wrong because it only registers the twenty types of insects, when we know that these ascend to two thousand. If the hungry have to turn to desperate measures, those whose stomachs are full should not complain when their own greed ends up killing them.”
That last sentence made Óscar wonder who the people with the “full stomachs” were.
The “full stomached” are those who always need more.
Not long ago, the scientist, Peter Hotez, appeared before Congress to announce that four years before the crisis he had been very close to obtaining a vaccine that could have worked against coronavirus, but that he never received enough funds to finalize it. His research started after the damage caused by the “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome” that had caused seven hundred dead, but the large pharmaceutical companies were not interested in developing a product that, according to them, would never be used.
At first, many students decided that in times of epidemic, it was unwise to attend those classes where they dissected animals considered to be dangerous. Soon after, they stopped attending at all because they were either dead or seeking refuge in remote places. Still, Óscar carried on going with the hope that men as brilliant as Mr. Dionisio would eventually win the battle to those beings who were considered to be merely “smart”.
Eventually, there was barely anyone left at university, and seeing an old man wandering around campus in company of an attentive student, became a strange sight. However, until their species finally disappeared, there would always be a human ready to teach and another willing to learn.
Such disposition had always been at the essence of humans, just as the ability and speed at which they assimilate knowledge had set them apart from other beings.
Chapter III
From far away came an awful screech, and when she leaned out the window her happiness was immense, because there, sitting on the chest, was her heroine showing off her skills with the accordion.
Aurelia ran towards the fence but her father held her back.
Her mother and uncle also stopped ten yards away from the entrance.
“Hey, kiddo!” cried Samuel at the newcomer.
“Hey, all!” she replied as she stopped playing, which was always a relief for the audience’s ears. “How are you?”
“Good, for now. Where’ve you come from?”
“Everywhere. Nothing stops me these days,” she said pointing at the fence, “except for that.”
“You know we can’t let you in.”
“I know. But I need some clothes, food and a few other things. I’ve moved into the village and am living in the Mayor’s house now.”
“Dead?”
“Not sure. The place is empty.”
“And what are you going to do in the village?”
“Live while we can, that’s the plan. I’ve got an Italian boyfriend now. He’s a violinist and is writing a symphony about the sickness.”
“What’s he doing that for? A symphony about this damned disease?” her-sister-in law asked.
“So that his grandchildren may listen to it one day, if he ever has them; because he believes that this evil will eventually disappear just like the Spanish influenza did all those years ago.”
“He’s too optimistic.”
“That’s the Italian blood in him. By the way, don’t forget to get my red skirt and the striped jumper.”
“You think you’ll make it?”
“If you’re managing then we can try too, although we’d appreciate some rabbits and chickens. We’ve got room to breed them.”
“A third of all the stuff we’ve got here belongs to you.”
“I know that, big guy, and if things go well, I’ll take a cow one day, but I better get going. It’s getting dark and it’s a long way home. I’ll come back tomorrow to pick up the stuff.”
“See
