Show Notes
Note: This is a freely accessible serialized version of Lab Leak Fever. Audio voiceover was AI generated for accessibility. Find an overview of all chapters here or consult the book website for further information. A disturbingly dry cough broke the silence of the Malaysian night; the pigs resting under the mango trees had been uneasy that day. Loud, whooping breaths filled the backyards of small farmhouses. Pig farming had been a family business in the villages of Bukit Pelandok and Sikamat, and for the Foochow Chinese, it was a source of pride and good income. While most Malay are Muslim and not permitted to touch pigs, for Mr. Yap, handling these animals would feed his family of five, the youngest just three years old. The pork supply chain had recently exploded into a huge industry in Malaysia, employing thousands and lifting many more out of poverty. Within the lush and dense green vegetation, small streets connected scattered farmhouses, and the many small pig operations that originally started in backyards kept expanding, requiring more space and cultivation of the land. Mr. Yap’s days were humid and hot, but the nights were pleasant, and he would often sit outside until the tropical sunset. A brighter and more hopeful future lay ahead for the immigrant family. He had felt a bit tired the last few days, and then he developed a fever on that fateful Monday in March 1999. A week later, he fell into a mysterious coma, never to wake up again. He would not be the only one. “My father died of Nipah virus,” Wee Chee revealed timidly. “So did my uncle.” Mr. Yap’s then-three-year-old daughter was sitting in front of me 23 years later. She was tall with straight hair, and her large round glasses amplified her intelligent mocha eyes, exuding curiosity. She was a young researcher on her journey to earn a PhD in virology at one of the best labs in Singapore. “I don’t remember him; I was too young.” Her soft voice and casual tone were in stark contrast to the severity of the revelation about her father. I felt a bit uneasy interrogating her about the painful past, but I needed to understand what drove her to be out here with the other virus hunters. “The authorities first thought it was Japanese encephalitis,” she explained, a virus transmitted by mosquitoes. The year before, after the first unusual encephalitis casualties in 1998, the pig farmers in Malaysia received vaccinations. Despite taking mosquito protection measures, the outbreak continued unabated, and the death toll skyrocketed. Something did not add up. Although some of the initial patients demonstrated cross-reactivity with Japanese encephalitis antibodies in serological assays, indicating their recent exposure to the virus, not all patients tested positive. Some would even get sick after being vaccinated against the Japanese encephalitis virus. These cases were attributed to an ineffective vaccine — something almost unheard of. Confused, the department heads were more concerned with confirming Japanese encephalitis through PCR tests rather than challenging their assumptions. In the meantime, the authorities would continue with their prevention measures, even telling the pig farmers it was safe to keep working. Wee Chee’s father trusted them despite knowing his pigs had died too. However, Dr. Kaw Bing Chua, a tenacious local scientist had developed a hunch that it was a new virus that caused the disease, jumping over from pigs to farmers. With a subtle tone of admiration in her voice, Wee Chee briefly recounted his history. He would isolate the virus from the cerebrospinal fluid of patients and attempt to cultivate it not only in insect cell lines, as is indicated for the Japanese encephalitis virus, but also in human, canine, pig, and monkey cell lines available at the University Malaya Medical Center. He discovered that the isolated virus would not only grow in various cell lines but also show a cytopathic effect — the infected cells looked rugged and sick under a micr
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