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[alt_molly]

Poppy, I need your advice. Arthur sent me off to stay with Bill as soon as he got home from Surrey--I'm there now. Have you managed to find out anything from St Mungo's about how long Frank and the baby would need to be quarantined? What about Arthur? I can't imagine any excuse that he can give to avoid going into work. I don't think he's so worried for himself or his coworkers, but he says he doesn't want to endanger me.

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[alt_bill]

You can stay with me as long as you like, Mum. It's rather a novelty having dinner waiting for me when I get home.

[alt_poppy]

I wish I had better certainty about this, Molly, but I have had a short conversation today with one my contacts at St Mungo's. I couldn't ask anything too direct, but luckily she opened the topic. They do not know what the disease is or what to expect for those who have fallen ill with it. However, they have decided that it's almost a certainty that the source of the disease is the teeming population of rats in the camps. (I shudder to think.) More particularly, they theorise that the disease is transmitted by flea bite from infected rodents to humans and on and on.

Before I say more, I want to be clear that I think the situation is very different for Frank and the infant in his care than it is for you and Arthur.

Assuming that they are correct--and I do trust that they've solid reasons to support this conclusion--we should determine whether Arthur has noticed any bites (probably around his ankles) since returning from the camps. If not, then I believe that we can suppose you are at little risk. After all, he was in the camp for a very brief period of time. I would, if I were you, take reasonable precautions at home to be sure that you are not harbouring fleas (or rodents), which could spread the disease should Arthur turn out to be carrying it.

I will answer Frank on his own entry so he's sure to see it, but what I am going to tell him is that he and the baby need to remain in quarantine until we know that the baby is not ill. It had much greater chance of exposure than either Arthur or Frank, and we cannot risk loosing disease on the Sanctuary. They are too precious.

The last thing I would say, Molly, is that if you have any concerns, any doubts whether to take this information as an All Clear, then the safe course would be stay at Bill's. It's difficult to say how long would be necessary if this disease passes by some other means. For some epidemic-prone ailments, the incubation period can be as much as three weeks.