Silver Sickness

Silver Sickness (also: Elflung, Fairy Flu) is the common name for a series of respiratory diseases thought to be caused by the introduction of foreign viruses to humans through extended contact with the Fae and their magic. The sickness was first recorded shortly after The Broadcast, when Elves began walking among humans in higher numbers than usual.
While it has been recorded worldwide, the sickness was first noted in villages and smaller towns where the Fae had been living prior to the Uprising. However, as the fae began to spread into cities so too did the virus, causing a worldwide pandemic that spread slowly before coming to a head after The Uprising.
The Silver Sickness is technically multiple different viruses, however they have been considered under the same umbrella due to its similar symptoms and simultaneous transmission, largely due to a lack of understanding about its specific biological makeup due to its magical origin.

History

First Wave: Late 2014-Early 2015

Though it is difficult to track by nature, the Silver Sickness is largely agreed to have started shortly before the Broadcast. Initial reports of new outbreaks RTI began to surface worldwide, quickly found to be similar in their symptoms and onset and the responsible viruses related in their biology. These reports came largely from rural villages and farms, leading to theories that it was transmitted by animals.
As the magical phenomena pre-Broadcast began to increase, so too did cases of the new virus spike, then again post-Broadcast as people began travelling between cities and villages to be with family or away from increasing conflict. This wave of the Sickness was, however, relatively mild. It is estimated that over 7,000,000 people came down with the disease and approximately 3,500 people were believed to have died in total (a 0.05% mortality rate). At the time, magic in the atmosphere was minimal and the virus was largely harmless. The symptoms of this disease were minimal, fatalities largely caused by complications in those with already compromised immune systems.
Its presence, however, is believed to have affected the results of the votes that followed, and potentially led to a higher rate of conflict and negative votes toward an Alliance than may have initially occurred.

Second Wave: Early 1P.B.

As the fae began to mingle and interact more directly with humans, so too did the virus. In the early weeks of the first year Post-Broadcast, reports of the sickness began to increase rapidly within cities and spread throughout the population. Fatalities occurred far more frequently, especially in areas ravaged by Uprising conflicts where healthcare was interrupted, but Alliance cities soon followed. The virus had mutated and developed stronger symptoms, and many believe it was spreading in its asymptomatic/minimally symptomatic form since the initial wave a year prior.
Countries worldwide saw devestating losses to this new strain of the virus, some ceasing all Fae movement while others quarantined the Fae to lesser inhabited areas and within their homes while research on treatment was conducted. This left many Fae disconnected from their natural environment and, as a result, it is estimated that up to 10% of recorded deaths were a result of this -- though exact numbers of Fae were not recorded.
Though testing was scattered and accurate numbers couldn't be gathered due to the conflicts of the Uprising, it is estimated that approximately 36 million people died before Alliance members could devise appropriate treatments and cures.

Present Day

Though cases of the Sickness still persist, Alliance members were able to synthesise a cure and innoculation for the illness. The medicine seeks to adjust the human biology to be more receptive and resistant to fae viruses, and was distributed first to Alliance cities, then to villages with high fae traffic, then to the rest of the world through any avenues available (usually the strongest fae presence in the area, or else the leaders of any primary faction in the area).
In areas where medical aid could not be provided, convoys of fae would escort more vulnerable local humans to receive it at the closest available location. Over time, those who could not be innoculated minimised their contact with fae until they were able to gain a gradual immunity through exposure to increased magic in the atmosphere.
This has not eliminated the illness completely, but its severity has drastically reduced and is largely treated with the same caution as illnesses such as chicken pox -- still dangerous, but largely treatable and rarely caught a second time.

Symptoms

Silver Sickness is so named due to the silver-ish hue that colours both the bile the afflicted will cough up and stains the areas around the afflicted's lips and eyes.
Other symptoms vary between cases and severity, but can include:

Persistent, chesty coughing

Sneezing

Shortness of Breath

Fatigue

Brain Fog

Heart Palpatations

Pneumonia

Hallucinations

Acute respiratory distress

Sequela

Though many will recover with minimal difficulty, Silver Sickness is known in a number of cases (usually in those with underlying illnesses) to cause long-term damage to the immune and/or respiratory systems. Approximately 15% of Silver Sickness cases lead to long term symptoms lasting more than a month, and 6% have led to symptoms lasting over a year.
These symptoms are usually similar to postviral syndrome, with persistant fatigue being the primary symptom. In an extremely rare number of cases (approximately 0.5% of all who contract the virus) Silver Sickness can cause permanent complications such as athsma and CFS.

Cultural Reception

Due to its fae origin, it is theorised that the Silver Sickness was a factor which exacurbated anti-fae violence and formations of factions such as The Cleansed. Instances of fae settlements and homes being vandalised and looted increased rapidly once the cause of the new sickness was released, and only continued as people began to die. Most names for the sickness (especially Elflung) are considered derogatory by the fae community due to its use primarily by anti-fae groups.
Much of the Cleansed approach to resisting the Fae is a direct result of the pandemic, using the contagion as a push for their anti-fae propaganda and justification for the complete sterilisation and erasure of magic from their cities. Similarly, many fae who take an anti-Uprising stance cite the deaths caused by fae quarantine as a reason for this.

Type

Viral

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Rare