[ WP ] a new viral outbreak 20 million dead in the first week.how does the virus spread ? what are the symptoms ? who is patient zero ?

Somewhere deep in the heart of Zaire, 1987 
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 The rusty old jeep bounced along the gravel road. The green paint that had once covered it had given way to grey metal, rust and mud. The only visible marking on the jeep was a faded'W', that had been painted blue long ago. The driver sat with an ease that comes from an adventurous spirit and a lifetime of driving dangerously. The skin on his dark face crinkled as he smiled, looking at the hot African sun through his sunglasses and listening to the music blasting out of the radio. It was a beautiful day. By contrast, the woman who sat beside him was pale, and covered her arms with a long sleeved shirt. She had a map stretched over her knees, and was studying it intently, tapping a pen against her mouth as she did so. 
 
 `` Jakob'' She called over the roar of the engine. The man smiled and turned down the radio. 
 
 `` Yes?'' 
 
 The woman pointed to a clearing in the jungle that ran beside them. `` Turn there, please'' 
 
 Jakob smirked and spun the wheel. The dusty old Range Rover turned right onto the track, and the sun disappeared. The thick canopy blocked out the sun, creating the sensation of night. It was much cooler in the jungle, something Jakob was thankful for. It meant that they would n't have to exhaust their water trying to keep hydrated, and the engine would n't overheat like last time. He twisted the volume button on the radio, and let the heavy sounds of Led Zepplin crash over him. 
 
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 Jakob Nyathi had been born in Freetown, in 1965, just a few years after Sierra Leone had become independent. He had one brother born before him, and one brother and two sisters born after him. They had moved south to Liberia in'68, after Stevens assumed control of the government again. His father had seen the displeasure the public felt, and had decided that the country was a powder keg waiting to blow. He had n't been wrong. 
 
 Luckily, Liberia was relatively stable. His father had gotten a job as a policeman, while his mother worked at a local hospital as a nurse. It was helping his mother with the patients at the hospital that caused him to decide to become a doctor. He liked the feeling that he was making a difference in people's lives. Doctor Jakob Nyathi had a certain ring to it that he liked, as well. 
 
 He had graduated from the University of Liberia medical school in 1984, at the age of 19, barely a few months before the army destroyed it. Jakob went to work immediately for the WHO, providing medical help in poorer regions of Africa. Zaire was just a small stop-off on the way to East Africa. Barely an hour had passed after their plane had landed, before they were told to visit a small village on the outskirts of the impenetrable Congo jungle. 
 
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 Sarah Johnstone, or Sally, had grown up completely opposite to Jakob. Born in Atlanta in 1959, to wealthy parents, she would n't have had to work hard to have a good life. But she did. She graduated from Atlanta High at 17, and then graduated Harvard medical School four years later. An internship at the CDC during those years had given her substantial experience in the field of virology, and her medical training meant that she had an eye for viruses and knew how to deal with them. Which was a good thing to know how to do in an AIDS-ravaged Africa. 
 
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 `` Do you speak their language?'' Sally asked. Jakob smiled. 
 
 `` The national language of Zaire is French, but many people in this region speak Lingala or Swahili. I do n't know any Lingala or Swahili, but I can speak a little French. It does n't matter anyway, we have this guy'' Jakob backhanded a blanket on the backseat. A cry erupted. 
 
 `` What happened? Where are we? Are we there yet?'' An African man shot his head out from under the blanket, his eyes both opened wide in alarm and covered in sleep. He blinked a few times, and looked around at his surroundings. `` Yo, Frere, how far out are we?'' 
 
 `` About 10 klicks, Paul. You can go back to sleep if you wish,'' Jakob laughed, `` though I do n't know how you managed to sleep with this noise.'' 
 
 Paul Jerre laughed. `` Surely you should know that I can sleep through anything Jakob. Even that horrible noise you make when you sleep'' 
 
 Sally reread the information they had been given. A young boy had been checked into a WHO hospital 38 kilometres from where he lived. He had acute symptoms, of a disease that was not currently classified. The distraught parents of the boy had told nurses that he had been fine the previous day. The next day he had died. From the little that the parents had been told by the boy, which they had relayed to the staff of the hospital, was that the boy had been exploring some caves in the north the day before he had become sick. Sally, Jakob and Paul had been told to find what had caused the illness. 
 
 Initial analysis had suggested it was a virus. It was extremely lethal, but not very infective, relying on blood transmission to jump between hosts. After the trio had found the origin of the virus, samples they were to take would be flown to three different laboratories; the CDC, WHO headquarters and the Munroe base in Antarctica. From there, a vaccine to the virus would hopefully be created, and another threat to human existence would be lost to the history books. 
 
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 The village was small. A few huts huddled together in the clearing, like a group of penguins trying to protect themselves from the cold. Sunlight reflected from a waterfall in the distance, and the sound of nature penetrated everywhere. Jakob stopped the engine and pulled the key from the ignition. He jumped out of the jeep and walked to the back. Paul pulled a backpack from underneath the blanket and walked towards the village. A group of children stopped the impromptu game of football they had been playing and ran towards him, shouting and smiling in the innocent way that only children can. He called a greeting in Swahili, and they responded in kind. Jakob smiled at the sight, then resumed pulling boxes out of the back. 
 
 `` It's beautiful.'' Sally's voice interrupted his thoughts. `` The way they are n't letting the death of one of them stop their happiness. The way they keep on living.'' 
 
 Jakob grunted in agreement. `` The resilience of children. If only adults could do the same. Maybe this continent would't be at war all the time. Then we could do something about everyone's health.'' He picked up two of the boxes by their handles and moved towards the village. 
 
 Sally smiled and grabbed the other two. `` That would be a huge step forward for humanity. Unfortunately, I do n't think that's a step some people want to take. There's too much money to be made to stop the exploitation of this place.'' 
 
 `` Tell me about it. Gold, diamonds, ivory, oil. Africa's resources are going to be her downfall.'' They set the boxes on the ground, in the shadow of one of the huts. Sally surveyed the village. 
 
 `` I'm going to get Paul, and then find someone in charge. We'll probably be able to start after that.'' Jakob nodded in acknowledgement. 
 
 > I'm just going to post, then edit the rest in later.
