The Tisp Plague

The Tisp Plague was a pandemic that affected the entire continent of Qey, but, as the name implies, only had fatal effects on the Tisp species.
The disease was the reason for the near entire extinction of the Tisp species. There are only a few individuals that remain. This was a tragedy of Qey, as the disease started off slow, snuck up on the population and, unfortunately, was too far spread, and so far into its stages, that the medical community could do little to stop its fatal progression.
This disease was caused by a virus that invaded the brain. It had an airborne spread, and was easily transmissible. It slowly spread through the nervous system, causing inflammation of the brain and resulting in fever, hallucinations, confusion, and loss of consciousness. By the time symptoms manifested externally, it would have infected the body so thoroughly that there was no way to treat it. Death was certain.
There were numerous methods trialed by the medical community (doctors and healers alike) to combat the spread, including harsh quarantine measures. However, many of the attempted measures came too little, too late. The asymptomatic initial contraction meant that many people were spreading the virus without even knowing they were ill, further contributing to the difficulty of keeping the sick contained.
In other mortals, the virus was quickly suppressed by the immune system, and the resulting symptoms were little more than cold or flu-like before a full recovery, with the exception of some immunocompromised individuals. The full severity only manifested in the Tisp species.
It is still unknown exactly why it was only the Tisps that reacted so severely to the virus, though current hypotheses suggest a unique mutation of the virus that reduced their initial immune response, giving the virus precious extra time to make a stronghold into the body and overwhelm the immune system through sheer numbers.
Current research is ongoing into both cause and a vaccine, in hopes of preventing such a future tragedy.

Type

Viral