mientras tanto (coma)

« A single bite from an infected flea can discharge as many as twenty-four thousand plague cells into the blood or lymphatic system. After a period of incubation lasting between one and eight days, victims will begin to suffer chills and fever while the body rallies its forces to defeat the invaders. The attempt is usually futile. If it is not treated quickly -and diagnosed accurately- the plague bacteria will ravage the body's internal organs, resulting in a shock, delirium, organ failure and death.
Six to eight hours after the first symptoms appear, painful limps called buboes begin to form under the surface of the skin, increasing in size and darkening as tissues fall prey to infection. Glands swell, causing so much pain, particularly in the neck, groin and armpits, that even comatose patients have been know to withe in agony. »

« By the fifteen day, the tiny bruises on Ustinov's body had turned dark blue, and his skin was as thin as parchment. The blood pooling underneath began oozing trough. It streamed from his nose, mouth, and genitals. Throug a mechanism that is still poorly understood, the virus prevents normal coagulation: the platelets responsible for clotting blood are destroyed. As the virus spreads, the body's internal organs literally begin to melt away.

(...)


The filoviruses were already multiplying by millions inside Ustinov's tissues, sucking out their nutrients in order to clone copies of themselves. Each viral particle, or virion, forms a brick that pushes against the cell walls until they burst. The cells then sprout wavering hair-like antennae that home in on their next target, where the process of foraging and destruction blindly repeats itself. »

« Typhoid fever is a dangerous gut infection caused by contaminated water and food. Medical help must be sought.
In its early stages sufferers may feel they have a bald cold or flu on the way, as early sympthoms are headache, body aches and a fever that rises a little each day until is around 40ºC (104ºF) or more. The victim's pulse is often slow relative to the degree of fever present -unlike a normal fever, in wich the pulse increases. There may also be vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation.
In the second week, the high fever and slow pulse continue and a few pink spots may appear on the body; trembling, delirium, weakness, weight loss and dehydratation may occur. Complications such as pneumonia, perforated bowel or meningitis may ocur. »

Lecturas selectas // San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas.