Blood Fever

(Legacy Content)

Blood Fever describes a viral disease that is created and festers within a plant known as Hemalilia , or "Bloody Nettle" as a defense mechanism. It is an infection of the blood in particular - hence the name - and can not only quickly spread through the body but cause death within hours of contact with infected material. As such, it is required by nearly every primary education institution teach their students about its dangers, especially in locations where the disease is more common.

Transmission & Vectors

Blood Fever is typically transmitted via infected sap, which is secreted by the Hemalilia plant on contact. Other than this, typically contact of infectious material with the body's bloodstream through direct interaction, digestion, injection or otherwise.

Symptoms

Blood Fever will manifest as a gradually increasing internal heat and inflammation at the point of first infection. As it spreads throughout the body - typically via the bloodstream - it infects all manner tissues so quickly that the immune system cannot react quick enough. Over the course of a few hours, the victim's skin will start to blister from the inside, internal bleeding magnifies as the blood vessels overheat and burst, and the body's internals liquify under the heat and structural strain that the loss of so many cells puts on them. What remains after this step is a quickly degrading mass of diseased tissue that reeks of iron. After this, the virus seems to coalesce and form cells that will eventually lead to the growth of a new Hemalilia plant.

Treatment

Treatment of Blood Fever is only really effective before the virus enters the bloodstream, as the virus can even overwhelm some forms of minor Halum spells or nanobot salves. Treatment in these early stages always starts with the removal of any infected material - if any - before cooling the sections to denature the heat-acclimated viral DNA before it can cause further damage. This method of treatment will usually cause first or second degree frost-burns, but it will stop the infection. If the disease is caught early enough, it could also be removed via a Cure Disease spell, if that is available.

Prognosis

A Blood Fever infection will always result in death unless treatment is provided. There are no known records of anyone surviving an infection, but given fortitude of some individuals it is not improbable that some - if any - could survive, however unlikely that may be.

Affected Groups

Blood Fever affects any living creature with blood that requires hemoglobin to function or possesses iron in a significant way.

Prevention

Blood Fever can be prevented by not coming into contact with the Hemalilia plants, avoiding contact with any infectious materials or animals, or by entirely avoiding areas where the viral strains are present.

Epidemiology

Typically, if properly handled, Blood Fever does not spread throughout a population and sticks to one person. If proper procedures are not followed, however, the average person will not come into contact with harmful materials, given the fact that a victim's blood will not become exposed to others until their body has degraded to the point that they can no longer move.

History

The first recorded cases of Blood Fever came from an expeditionary journal of a travelling doctor responding to cases of a strange disease propagating through small villages on the rim of civilization. While his methods were cruel and inhumane, he did eventually discover and document the cause of the disease, and even developed crude but effective countermeasures for combating it.

Type

Viral

Children

• False Blood Fever

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Rare

Additional Notes

While it is not entirely understood why, this disease can be found in victims of The Blade of Rot. This appears to be because of the weapon's strange, extraplanar nature as many scholars and scientists alike cannot exactly pinpoint the source of the blade's properties.