Immunization of Epidemic Tsunami

Immunization of Epidemic Tsunami
“Is she your eldest daughter? Where is she from?” My mom’s friend asked her when we met on the street in Chinatown, Chicago. “She is from Canada”, my mom answered without hesitation. In fact, I was from Hong Kong visiting my mom on vacation .This conversation happened on May 5, 2003. What happened? Why did my mom lie to her friend? It was because Hong Kong was one of the cities where the epidemic SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) had an outbreak. No one wanted to contact someone who came from Hong Kong or mainland China in that moment for fear of infection. During the SARS outbreak, Hong Kong was like a deadly city. Every day I got news from the TV, which reported about the spread of SARS.-They talked about how many people were infected, who died in which hospitals, and they taught citizens how to protect themselves in their daily lives. My social life was limited because no one desired to hang out except go to work. I just discussed the current news with my friends over the phone. This SARS disaster devastated Hong Kong citizens for almost nine months. Similarly, it had great influences on my job, family and the socioeconomic conditions of the city.

During the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong, all the medical staff acted as a main role in this disaster. I was the one in this role too. I worked as a frontline nurse. At that moment, the overcrowding of patients occurred in every public hospital. As a result, there was a shortage of manpower in my hospital, and the hospital’s atmosphere was tense. My workload was heavier day by day, and I often worked overtime. After I finished a day’s work, I felt listless and didn’t desire to do any chores. Also, it was stressful to observe all the new instructions and guidelines for wearing masks, gowns and hand washing. Moreover, I sometimes lost my appetite and often suffered from insomnia. I lost weight quickly. Anyway, I was pretty serious about my job as all my colleagues were. No matter how hard it was, I was content with my job. In my unit, we often received numerous consolations and encouragements such as greeting cards, food and gifts donated by some citizens, celebrities and organizations

In addition, the prevention of the SARS was the dominant topic we talked about in my family. We made ourselves Chinese herb tea as well as did exercises to prevent SARS or prevent the disease. My mom called me frequently from the U S. “How many SARS patients have you contacted today?”, “You better quit your job now.” She said repeatedly every time we spoke over the phone. She was worried because she had heard some frontline medical staff were infected and died of the SARS .Nevertheless, my husband consoled me in different ways from my mother. He urged me to eat more healthy food and sleep more to increase my resistance. On days off, we went hiking or swimming in small islands to relax and breathe fresh air. He was proud of me being not a “fugitive soldier” and still continued to perform my work in this dangerous situation. However, I never talked to my family. I had even treated a patient who was suspected of having the SARS at an isolation room for a four-hour haemodialysis treatment. As a nurse, it was inevitable that I had to treat all kinds of patients.

Furthermore, on the socioeconomic level, it impacted the economy and also changed the behavior of most people. The economy went from good to worse. During the SARS period, some peoples’ lifestyles changed. They seldom dinned out or went shopping to eliminate the possibility of infection. Moreover most peoples’ expenditures were low due to a ripple effect of the poor economy, and a lot of people lost their jobs. On the other hand, people were alerted about the importance of environmental sanitation of the community. As a result, I could live a clean and hygienic neighborhood then. The new habit of using serving chopsticks has been extending from restaurants to almost every family since the SARS epidemic.

All in all, the SARS had profound influences on my job, family and the socioeconomic conditions of the country. In fact, all crises have the painful memories. Still, I experienced this epidemic tsunami as if I got some immunization from it. The stress, tension and social economic frustration were similar to a virus invading my body. However, the close relationships, mutual concern and the positive lessons in our society are as if I got a vaccination to protect me in future.