Fungal Rot Lung

Where Barcino Spore Fever is unpleasant, Fungal Rot Lung is downright vicious. Being exposed to the blend of spores that brings this ailment is the start of the countdown. Because it develops rapidly and if the victim isn't undergoing medical treatment within a week, they have the choice of death or a full lung replacement surgery. Spore Season is truly the season that keeps giving.

Transmission & Vectors

The spores for this illness have been identified as hybridized Strain 8A and Strain 159C, but the actual source fungus hasn't been found in the wild yet. Spore catchers give annual counts that haven't changed significantly in the last two centuries, so whatever they are and where ever they are, they aren't becoming a more serious issue.

Causes

Spore exposure.

Symptoms

Initially, it seems like a rapid onset of Barcino Spore Fever. Then around day four, the sufferer begins coughing up black, foul smelling mucus and chunks of alveoli. At this point, the victim has about 48 hours to find medical assistance, or they will die. Symptoms will progressively get worse as the fungus kills and eats the sufferers' lung tissue until there's not enough left to breath with.

Treatment

Aggressive and powerful anti-fungal medication, and sometimes targeted radiation therapy. If there's been too much damage, then a lung replacement is advised.

Prognosis

Poor. Many people don't realize what they have until they start coughing out their lung tissue, and even then, things are hit and miss.

Sequela

The only way to avoid complications is to go get checked at the onset of symptoms and get immediate treatment. If addressed within 24 hours of symptom onset, treatment is easy, effective, and quick. The damage done to the entire body by this illness leaves people who wait, and even those who get new lungs, in bad shape. Chronic illness often follows, including:

chronic pain

difficulty breathing

poor oxygenation of cells

allergies to spores

nervous shakes

Affected Groups

This is an "anyone exposed" scenario. The hybridized spores are so dangerous that they get time in news casts and even emergency broadcasts during Spore Season.

Prevention

Avoiding spore exposure is the main method. And if they can't be avoided wearing proper protective clothing for the scale of the storm, and then following all the proper decontamination procedures, is usually sufficient. The next step is to seek medical attention when the symptoms occur, to try to get early treatment before the lungs are consumed.

Epidemiology

As with all the spore related illnesses on Barcino, it's the exposure issue. It spreads via spore exposure, making propoer safety protocols during spore season key.

History

The first cases of this illness were in 334 TE, long after the colonies had established themselves, and long enough for them to think they knew what Barcino had hidden. The spore seasons in that year and for the next decade saw brutal outbreaks where dozens died, often whole families. Once the cause was identified and treatment established, it became less common.

Cultural Reception

Fungal Rot Lung is seen as one of the worst things that can happen to someone on Barcino, and when the warnings air across all media sources, people take it seriously.

Type

Fungal

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Rare