Maniai Case File 1: The Girl And The Blood Slide

Chapter 2

The boss slammed his hand on the desk.

"The problem with rabies is that it's too damn lethal but so curable, people think they are immune. Well, they're not. All of these cases," he said placing his huge hand on a stack of case files, "are filled with people, mostly children, who live in the countryside but lack proper rabies education to prevent a transmission or recognise the symptoms. It's our job to educate them. Now it's your job too." He leaned back on his squeaky chair and paused for me to absorb the weight of the situation.

I was holding the brochure in my hand. "Rabies is 100% curable for humans if prevented, but despite that every year around 55.000 people lose their lives to it due to lack of awareness," it said.

Don't worry. Not here. In Africa and Asia.

I read on. "Dogs and wild animals are the common carriers of the virus. The red fox is usually the carrier in rural incidents. There have been no reports of rabid dogs in cities so far."

He coughed to clear his throat and leaned forward, pointing a finger at me. He had my attention.

"Most people can't see the patterns, before it's too late."

He let that sink in and leaned back. The chair complained.

"Can I ask something Sir?"

"Shoot," the boss said. He has chubby and tall, the man you would pick to don a Santa Claus suit for Christmas. His tone was always cordial and that said a lot about the man who I would soon consider my mentor. His office was his second home, filled with memorabilia, fishing photos, beloved family, bits and pieces of Greek folklore from his trips to the countryside.

I processed his earlier sayings for a while. This was obviously someone passionate but whose fire was quenched by the years and the harsh reality. Recapping the division's goals to a newbie like me rekindled the fire that was never fully quenched inside him. I chose my words so as not to insult him. "I can see that this is an important job, it truly is. But I'm not a veterinarian. How can I contribute to this kind of work?"

"You aren't hearing me son. The problem is that the veterinarians themselves don't know these things. You picking up the brochure and taking the time to read it is more than what many professionals have ever done regarding this matter." He pointed a fat finger towards me and half-closed his eye. "We are not doctors, we inform doctors on one thing, rabies prevention and treatment. And when there is a case, we are to get in there and see what's happening."

"What are we then?" I asked and realised I was already sucked into the "we" mentality.

"What we are is Communicable Disease Investigators. CDI for short."

Investigator. That sounded a bit cool.

Mr. Epiktitos shoved me a job contract. It said, "Payroll Job Title: Communicable Disease Investigator. Job Description: Conducts investigations related to individuals diagnosed with infectious diseases to reduce the transmission and burden of disease in the country. Assures those diagnosed with infectious diseases receive proper treatment; identifies contacts to infectious cases; determines likelihood of exposure of contacts to cases of infectious disease; and coordinates prophylaxis for exposed individuals. Provides education to the public and medical communities concerning infectious diseases; composes reports and compiles data requests as necessary; and provides support in the event of a public health emergency."

I looked back into his eyes.

"How's the health care plan?" I asked, with a silly grin on my face.