Antigua has felt like a very different place this week after the tragic death of the captain of S/Y Adela's six year old son last Monday. The shocking news that another child died the following day after suffering the same symptoms sent the local community into a bit of a panic.
Nearly a week on and we still don't have that many answers. Although the autopsies have been completed the Antiguan Health Authority say they are inconclusive and so more waiting. It is thought that the illness is viral and so contagious which is scary for parents in the area. Coco is in quarantine meaning that we are housebound, many visitors with children are thinking of leaving and I have friends who were supposed to be bringing their daughter out next week for the Classics Regatta who probably aren't coming. I don't blame them, we attended a community meeting earlier in the week to discuss the symptoms to look out for and what course of action to take should your child become ill. I can honestly say that I left feeling a fear that I don't think I have ever experienced before. For nearly 24 hours I was in a state of blind panic wanting to escape the island and never come back. I like to think that I am usually fairly calm and collected in a crisis but not this time. This time I felt terrified and didn't have a clue how to protect Coco from this unknown illness. However, with no further outbreaks I am beginning to regain some control although we all feel desperate for the families of the children who died.
My poor mother-in-law has had endure me being a nervous wreck for the last week of her holiday as well as not really moving far from home. Luckily we had squeezed a fair amount into her first two weeks so I'm hoping she doesn't feel like she has missed out too much.
On a happier note, all of this time at home has meant that the energy Coco would usually put into swimming has been channeled into getting active in other ways and over the last couple of days she has started kind of crawling. When I say kind of crawling, it is more of a commando crawl with her arms doing all the work as she pulls herself along on her stomach. It is effective though and she is getting pretty quick! This is not a friendly house for a mobile-child so we are going to have to remain vigilant at all times.
I hope my next post is a happier one and that we get answers soon.
