Swamp fever

The swamp fever plagued Equestria a millennia ago. The cure was found but the disease was never eradicated. Now it has spread to the zebra lands where the cure doesn't exist and tribal healing is helpless against the magic disease.

Transmission & Vectors

Once one is infected they become a vector of transmission. Physical contact, prolonged exposure, and contact with the bubbles of lightning from the infected spread the disease.

Causes

The source of the disease is spores from a specific swamp tree.

Symptoms

Green spots cover the infected's body and severe lethargy take hold of them. Followed by them coughing milky blue bubbles and sneezing powerful lightning. Once these manifest in only a few days they begin to grow branches and a week after being infected become a tree, effectively killing the infected. This tree then drops flowers which spread the spores and the cycle begins anew.

Treatment

The only cure is a dose of properly prepared flashbee honey. The zebra were close to a magic based cure but succeeded in only merging the host with the disease making tree-host hybrids.

Prognosis

The disease is fatal, unless cured they will always become a tree. There is no immunity, however once infected and cured you can't be infected again.

Affected Groups

No one is immune. It affects all species however only sentient races become trees, animals are sick for a few hours and then fine.

Hosts & Carriers

Swamp trees that drop lily pads carry the disease. The flowers on the tree and on the pads carry the spores that spread the disease.

Prevention

Avoid the infected, avoid the possibly infected, doctor masks decrease the chance of infection but don't prevent it.

History

The first outbreak was 1000 years ago in the hayseed swamp where the trees and flashbees are native to. Mage meadowbrook discovered the cure by observing that flashbees were immune to the spores and hoped that their honey made from the swamp flowers could transfer that immunity to others.

Type

Magical

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Rare