The sudden outbreak made the situation even more complicated. It would be fine if it remained confined to South Africa, but if it spread across the entire African Continent, Franz would be left in tears.
There was no helping it. A colony was still a colony. Although Austria had been operating on the African Continent for more than a decade, it still could not change the backward state of medical care.
The number of infections might not look high now, but the mortality rate was simply too high. Many patients went to meet God before they even understood what had happened.
Franz, too, had been unable to see the forest for the trees. If he had examined the reports carefully, he would have understood why the mortality rate was so high.
Those infected in the greatest numbers were currently the cannon fodder troops. They paid no attention to hygiene and received no effective treatment, so naturally their mortality rate was high.
Other than ordering stronger epidemic prevention measures, there was nothing else Franz could do.
Since an epidemic had appeared among the "Boer Republic Army," the surrounding native tribes could forget about escaping unscathed as well. The number of deserters from the cannon fodder troops had always remained high; it was perfectly normal for them to flee while carrying the virus.
Viscount Fikeni had only thirty to forty thousand troops in total, and he also had to preserve their combat strength and leave the British no openings. At most, only a few thousand soldiers could be spared to watch the cannon fodder troops.
A few thousand men were guarding one or two hundred thousand people. A hundred or so escaping would barely draw notice. Coupled with the heavy daily casualties in battle, supervision became even more difficult.
Unless they fled