SARS and fever

SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, was a risky at the period of March
to June 2003.  The entire world was watching the disease; most countries
reported the situation every hour, every day.

Singapore was the effective area
when I was there, but I didn’t care a lot.  I still went out for dinner
even at the roadside food bar.  I didn’t wear any mask on the plane even
a lot of person wore mask once they entered airport.

I didn’t feel afraid of SARS until I arrived at Bangkok Airport.  There
were two lines for testing travelers’ temperature at the airport.  A
nurse put a piece of plastic, which is a heat sensitive thermometer, on my
forehead.  After a while, she said thirty eight.  She wrote down
the temperature and give me the paper, let me follow the queue.

I was asked to stand aside wait for further examination.  Another nurse
brought out a glass thermometer and tested my armpit temperature.  It
was still 38?Celsius.  A clerk came and led me to a temporary emergency
center.  He let me sit outside the emergency center and took my passport
away.

The person who had my passport disappeared.  Two doctors went out, and
brought me out of the hall back to the landing area.  There were two
x-ray cars.  I had x-ray test and was brought back to the emergency room
again.

No one took care of me.  I started feeling scary.  What would happen
if I did have SARS?  Fortunately, I didn’t know SARS indeed that time. 
I just thought it was a serious cough.  I even didn’t remember the SARS
would cause death.  What was I thinking is that I will miss the chance
to watch the New Year festival in Bangkok and I would miss Lara and Sam a
lot if I have to be isolated.

There was a girl sit in front of me.  She also was caught by the high
fever.  She said she is a student come to Bangkok for university but
she couldn’t speak English well.  There was a doctor talking with her,
the doctor spook in Chinese.  The girl said she come from North East
China.  She wore coat and sweater; she said the heavy clothes caused
the high temperature.  The doctor wrote down her contact information
and let she leave.

I was the last one.  I felt scarier and no one wants to talk with me. 
I asked that doctor is that alcoholic will cause high temperature.  He
said maybe.

Eventually, they returned my passport to me and told me I got a normal fever. 
The first thing I did when I reached the central Bangkok was that I brought
two thermometers, one plastic and another glass.  I tested my temperature
every hour until I went back to Shanghai.  The temperature was always
below 36.5 ?Celsius.

Related links:
SARS FAQ, World Health Organization