A mostly benign virus that causes low-grade fevers in healthy individuals when exposed through traditional means. In immune compromised individuals, high, medicine-resistant fever can lead to death and revival as a zombie, known in society as one of the Dead.
The CX-381 virus is spread through contact with bodily fluids, including saliva, blood, vomit/bile, and seminal/cyprine fluid. It is a biphasic virus.
Phase one of the virus is classed as viral infection of a living individual. During the point in the pandemic where most affected individuals were in phase one, the virus was spread mainly through the sharing of drinks or sexual contact between an affected individual and a healthy individual.
A phase one individual can spread the condition at any point where they are showing symptoms and up to 3-5 days prior. The incubation period of the virus is 14 days.
Phase two is classed as viral reanimation of a deceased individual. Only the most severe cases progress into phase two. The original means of transmission continue, though are often less likely (the dead do not salivate unless feeding, their blood does not flow freely, and they cannot produce gametes and fluids capable of spreading STIs).
If spread in one of the original ways during phase two, the virus has around a 40-60% lethality rate among unvaccinated individuals, and a 10-20% lethality rate among vaccinated individuals. Note again that transmission this way is rare. The reason for the exponentially higher lethality rate if infected by a phase two-affected individual versus a phase one affected individual is the virus concentration. Much larger concentrations are present in any given tissue sample of a phase two individual and therefore a higher number of viral bodies are transferred to the unaffected individual, reducing their immune effectiveness.
In addition to the original vectors, the virus can also spread if a living (healthy) individual is bitten or scratched by a dead (phase two-affected) individual, the virus bypasses the body's natural immune system by injecting a megadose into the bloodstream, resulting in a 100% infection and death rate if infected by these means. Once the vaccine was developed, this was the only mode of transmission, as it is such a large dose of the virus that the body is unable to fight it, even with antibodies provided by the vaccine.
A virus from Denver is the root cause of the outbreak. It mutated from norovirus inside Denver Memorial Children's Hospital, where Lucy O'Malley was the first to be affected with the mutated strand.
Mild phase one cases include symptoms such as a low grade, medicine-resistant fever (100-101 degrees Fahrenheit or about 38 degrees Celsius), chills, body aches, and a minor headache.
In more severe cases with high probability of advancing to phase two, more dangerous symptoms such as a high grade, medicine resistant fever (104-107+ degrees Fahrenheit, 40-42+ degrees Celsius), dehydration, difficulty breathing, seizures, confusion, hallucinations, severe headache, chills, and death.
Severity of symptoms are largely dependent on the existence of prior conditions Risk factors include:
- Autoimmune conditions requiring immune suppressant medication
- Immunodeficient/Immunocompromising conditions
- Immunocompromising drugs and treatments (i.e. chemotherapy)
- Age (the elderly more likely to be affected more severely)
Treatment for otherwise healthy individuals with mild symptoms consists of keeping well hydrated, regulating body temperature with clothes/blankets, and taking over the counter pain medicine to curb body/head aches.
Antivirals have no effect on this disease, as it is genetically distinct from any virus that came before it, and the fever is resistant to NSAIDs and other fever-reducing drugs.
Hospitals treat the severely ill by putting them in cold rooms, giving them cold baths, and injecting them with cold IV fluids to try to bring the body temperature down. Pain and seizure medication are given to the individuals to keep them comfortable and reduce neurological impact until the patient either fights off the virus or dies. In the case of symptoms this severe, the result is nearly always death.
Prognosis differs based on the individual. For most, it is 5-7 days of illness. The vast majority (99.4-99.9%) of individuals who contract the virus do not progress to phase two.
Signs that an individual is likely going to progress into phase two of the virus include the presence of hallucinations, seizures, and a temperature above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degress Celsius). Prognosis for individuals showing these symptoms is most likely death (98-99% fatality rate). After death the affected individual enters phase two, and exists as one of the dead.
The dead can lead relatively normal lives, with the exception of not aging and the lack of function of most bodily systems.
Contracting this virus, in either the first phase or by someone affected with the second phase, is the only way to become one of the dead.
People who are immunocompromised are more likely to be affected more severely than others. People who live in densely packed cities, areas with poorer hygiene, or areas without immediate access to healthcare are most prone to outbreaks of both phases.
No other animals can be affected with the virus, and most humans show symptoms when infected. Occasionally a human can carry the virus without symptoms but this is rare.
Prevention includes avoiding:
- Sharing drinks
- Kissing
- Sharing needles and using unclean needles when using drugs
- Practicing unsafe sex
As well as screening all donated blood to make sure it is unaffected.
The virus moved through the population exclusively by phase one transmissions until December 2020, during the start of the Mumbai superspreader event. Cases were global, but not large in number, up until this point. Apocalyptic spread began in each region individually, as a result of someone progressing into phase two of the virus and reawakening outside of a controlled environment, exponentially increasing the number of zombies.
The first recorded case of CX-381 was a 12 year old immunocompromised girl in Denver named Lucy O'Malley. Follow the progression on the Outbreak Timeline
The phase one sufferers are treated as anyone with a communicable disease is; they are told to stay home, rest, and avoid transmission in the ways outlined by the CDC and WHO. The dead, those who have the virus and progress into phase two, are met with a lot of resistance from the living population, especially towards the beginning of the outbreaks. Even when fully assimilated, the stigma that the dead are dangerous is rampant.
Comments