Outbreak!

Imagine this... Just short of a month on holiday in South Africa. The birth of a new niece (Mark and Claudia's Riley), a wedding (Stacie and Chris at last), a parental move (Michael and Mom from Ficksburg to Durban) all with a bit of Christmas and New Year thrown in.

We arrived on the 14th of December and we were pretty much ready for our flight back to London on the 9th of January. In the morning Leo seemed to have what looked like a heat rash spreading over his body. We took him to the pharmacy on the way to Durban airport. Both pharmacists agreed; it looked like heat rash. So we gave him some antihistamine and boarded our flight to Johannesburg.

Leo was fractious and the rash did not fade. But he is not a good flyer so we did not think too much of it. In Johannesburg the rash seemed a little worse and certainly not better so we stopped off at the airport pharmacy. Again the pharmacist confirmed that it looked like heat rash and not measles or anything like that. So through security and into the BA lounge.

Finally time to board our flight at 7.30 pm. Flight was for 8.15pm. When I picked Leo up from his stroller where he was napping he was extremely hot. Definitely a fever. Lounge staff suggested going to the gate and having a paramedic check him there so off we went.

To cut a long story just a little shorter, paramedic reviewed him and confirmed a heat rash. We boarded at the gate and got down to the door of the aircraft where the senior cabin crew member politely declined to accept us on board. Just too much risk despite paramedic's OK.

So... bags off the aircraft, off to airport clinic. No doctor on duty so off to local Arwyp Clinic in Benoni via taxi. An hour later it's confirmed; measles. And Leo can't travel for the next 6 days!

So, back to the airport with the taxi that has been waiting for us for an hour. The taxi driver is furious as the waiting time has been less financially rewarding to him that carrying passengers and attempts to extort more money out of me. I give him a R20 tip and walk off.

Stacie has arranged for their friend Shaun Katz to pick us up with all of our luggage to go to her house in Parktown North. The alternative was to take two taxis so Shaun was a life-saver given how much luggage we had. At the airport we finally find our luggage in the BA offices where only a security guard has remained to hand it over. Unfortunately one of the large bags (with most of Leo's things) and a box are missing. But at least we got to the Atkinson residence by midnight and survive the alarm going off several times, a huge Johannesburg storm (including dealing with leaks in the new roof) and Rumtum's howling and head-butting.

The final upshot was that Emma and I flew home on Saturday night and Lara and Leo the following Tuesday night after getting the "all clear" from another doctor. British Airways Executive Club was, as I've now come to expect, entirely unhelpful. It was down to Gino, a local Swissport agent acting for BA, to get us sorted out and he was great. He got us all back onto flights with very little fuss. What a pity BA's own staff can't be so accomodating and helpful. My aim this year is to switch to Virgin.