As we sauntered about the house getting breakfast this morning, the doorbell rang. I opened the door to see a man in full hazmat uniform peering at me through the front gate. He said something muffled by his mask about dengue that I didn't understand, probably more because of the Portuguese than the mask. I said, "Just a moment" and promptly closed the door. I called Nathanael to let him handle the situation. He returned in a minute and said, "We have to leave the house . . . now!"
Apparently, we had missed the notice the government sent announcing a case of dengue in our area and the plans to spray the perimeters of all houses in our neighborhood for mosquitoes. We were informed that we needed to leave right then, taking both cars because the chemical can damage the paint, and leaving our windows open so that any mosquitoes inside would be exterminated. We grabbed our shoes and left.
As we drove away, men in protective suits with masks and gloves were entering the street from both ends carrying cans of chemicals and darting in and out of the gates along our street. Nathanael and I had left in separate vehicles, and he had stayed behind to lock our gate once they were done. When I called him later, we both said the same thing, "Wow, that was like a scene from Outbreak! Surreal!" I can tell you what isn't surreal--the horrible chemical stench left behind.
I'm not sure which is worse for us--dengue or the chemical they sprayed to combat it.
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