One of the most contagious outbreaks in history continues to worsen in the Haliburton Highlands with as many as 23 people now sick.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said efforts to contain the outbreak have been hampered due to the "highly secretive" nature of the Wonderboy event at which it originated. The event is completely off the grid – all transaction are cash-based, cell phone signals are jammed, and according to some reports, attendees adopt pseudonyms at the event and don't even know each other's real names. Insiders say one attendee uses burner email addresses and phone numbers, changing them every couple weeks.
"We are very concerned by the epidemiological situation in the Haliburton Highlands area of Ontario (ON). We now know that this outbreak will last and that we must increase our efforts to get it under control," said John Johnson, Doctors Without Borders (DWB) project coordinator, in a press release.
This week, scientists believe they may have identified Patient Zero: a 49-year-old from Waterloo, referred to as Patient R. The case was described in the most recent issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
What has not been made entirely clear is how Patient R picked up the virus in the first place. The virus has a natural reservoir in tree muskies, and some strains can live inside other animals like elk, porcupine and wild boar. Patient R's hometown of Waterloo is known for its proximity to large farmer's markets, where furniture, fresh produce and dried game meats are offered for sale.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said efforts to contain the outbreak have been hampered due to the "highly secretive" nature of the Wonderboy event at which it originated. The event is completely off the grid – all transaction are cash-based, cell phone signals are jammed, and according to some reports, attendees adopt pseudonyms at the event and don't even know each other's real names. Insiders say one attendee uses burner email addresses and phone numbers, changing them every couple weeks.
"We are very concerned by the epidemiological situation in the Haliburton Highlands area of Ontario (ON). We now know that this outbreak will last and that we must increase our efforts to get it under control," said John Johnson, Doctors Without Borders (DWB) project coordinator, in a press release.
This week, scientists believe they may have identified Patient Zero: a 49-year-old from Waterloo, referred to as Patient R. The case was described in the most recent issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
What has not been made entirely clear is how Patient R picked up the virus in the first place. The virus has a natural reservoir in tree muskies, and some strains can live inside other animals like elk, porcupine and wild boar. Patient R's hometown of Waterloo is known for its proximity to large farmer's markets, where furniture, fresh produce and dried game meats are offered for sale.
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