Agvimb

Agvimb (pronounced /ægβɪmb/) is a contagious disease caused a virus. Most Sērbaka who get Agvimb suffer mild symptoms such as fever, sore throat, and a rash that starts near the infection site and can spread to the rest of the body. Agvimb leads to a condition in some female Sērbaka which results in infertility, miscarriage in already pregnant females, or in rarer, more extreme, cases female Sērbaka may carry an infant to term, without suffering severe symptoms herself, only for the child to be born with a birth defect known as microcephaly, where the infants head is smaller than expected, compared to infants of the same age and sex, resulting in smaller, underdeveloped brains.

Transmission & Vectors

Two vectors exist for the transmission of Agvimb virus; through the parents, male or female Sērbaka, who either inherited the genetic coding that may result in their offspring suffering microcephaly, or through sand skimmers, which either bite an infected Sērbaka and pass the virus to the next victim, or one which carries the virus because of its mother carrying the virus and passing it on to its larvae.

Causes

The precise changes to female Sērbaka bodies, which prevent them from successfully becoming pregnant, or if pregnancy is possible, prevent the female from carrying offspring to term, is unknown. Furthermore, the circumstances that allow some females, in extremely rare circumstances, to carry offspring to term, only the have the infant effected by serious birth defects is likewise unknown, and troubling.

In most infants, the cause of microcephaly is unknown, but it is believed to be caused by genetic changes, which include the Agvimb virus.

Treatment

Agvimb is a lifelong condition, with no known cure or treatment procedures, however, studies are ongoing, and a cure or treatment is being sought. Targeting of the underlying virus responsible for the disease has shown great promise, and a treatment now exists for it, but it must be administered within days of infection, before any symptoms appear, making it a challenging disease to combat at this time.

It is recommended that any bite from a sand skimmer be treated as if it carries the virus, suggesting, treatment at one’s earliest convenience.

Additionally, efforts are underway to remove infected sand skimmers from the population for study, possible experimentation to combat the illness through one of its known vectors.

Type

Viral

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired & Congenital

Rarity

Rare

Affected Species

• Sand Skimmer
• Sērbaka