County In China Will Pay People To Check Into Hospital, Econ Commenters Immediately Want To Game the System

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From Marginal Revolution, February 9:

Coronavirus markets in everything

Government officials across Hubei province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, are desperate to find ways to stop the spread of the infection.

In Hubei’s Fangxian County, officials are trying a different approach — paying sick people.

According to an official Fangxian County notice, anyone who is sick and reports themselves to a hospital can expect to be paid.

Patients who have a fever and turn themselves in will receive 1,000 yuan ($142).

But officials and other interested parties are also being offered cash incentives if they catch anyone with a fever. For each person with a fever who is reported by an official or citizen, there is a reward of 500 yuan ($71).

The notice said that the offer is only valid from today until February 18.

Here is the link (nothing extra there, except a noisy video and you have to scroll down a lot).  Via Neville.

Comments

Captain Slime 

 February 9, 2020 at 3:07 pm   Hide Replies 1

Is there any way to raise your body temperature temporarily without actually being sick? I'm asking for a friend.

Body temperature is variable 

 February 9, 2020 at 3:18 pm   Hide Replies 2

Of course. The easiest is simply do some physical exercise. A sauna will definitely work too, though one assumes that is uncommon in China.

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Ethan Bernard

February 9, 2020 at 4:53 pm   Hide Replies 3

2,4-Dinitrophenol is a simple molecule that shorts out the proton gradient that mitochondria use to make ATP for cellular energy. Use a little and your body compensates by ramping up metabolism, giving you a fever and leading to weight loss. Use a little more and you die.

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Sure 

February 9, 2020 at 5:19 pm   Hide Replies 4

The standard research technique is injection of lipopolysaccharide. You can buy it easily from a lot of lab suppliers.
Prostaglandin E2 is the final inducer of pyrogenesis; we use it for a variety of OB indications and you can buy the drug for not that much.

The common factitious method patients use is to inject contaminated material into the blood stream. Basically anything with bacteria will work if you inject enough of it. Common ones I have seen include feces, bacterial culture, and cutaneous wound material.
Any of these will produce true fevers and can be done for something under $50. LPS is least likely to kill you.

If you want a really nasty "fever" on the cheap you can always dose yourself with 2,4 Dinitrophenol which would be a bear to dose (highly toxic, low therapeutic window), but remarkedly cheap per dose. However, going just a tiny bit high on your dosing will likely be fatal; accidental exposures have hit 109.

Frankly I doubt all that many people will take up the offer. Most likely getting on that list would come with significant risks of its own. I would be more worried about people with actual fevers thinking that we want to do something nefarious and we are paying money to so they should, run, run away.

Internet referee  

February 10, 2020 at 1:57 am   Hide Replies 5

When Sure gets one in his wheelhouse he usually knocks 'em out. +5 i.p.

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