Acute Freezing Syndrome

Acute Freezing Syndrome is an unfortunately common disease that originates from the Living Ice and any blood-hungry species that attempted to feed off of them, such as Icequito. Those who are infected by this disease are to be treated immediately, or else they shall freeze to death, suffering from a cruel mix of influenza and radiation sickness until then.

Transmission & Vectors

The most common ways to be infected with Acute Freezing Syndrome include being bitten by a Living Ice or by an Icequito or any-other species that feeds off of blood. It is also possible to get it from eating tainted meat from animals that has had the disease transferred to them from the aforementioned species.

Causes

When the virus enters the bloodstream of a human, it starts off spreading throughout the entire body, infecting whatever cells it passes by. It isn't until it reaches the brain that the disease begins to take its toll, infecting the hypothalamus. The virus, originating from the radioactive and frozen monstrosities that are known as Living Ice, causes the body to slowly cool down, even when it's in direct exposure to heat. Cells slowly begin to die, turning a sickly black and dark-blue from the onset of cold.

Symptoms

Initially, the only symptom that is visible initially from being infected with Acute Freezing Syndrome is the person undergoing increasingly extreme shivers, their body feeling cold to the touch from fever. Over time, however, other noticeable symptoms begin to show up in the infected, of which include:

• Coughing
• Sore throat
• Fatigue
• Runny nose
• Aching throughout the body
• Joints freezing up
• Inflammation of muscles
• Muscles freezing and cracking
• Lower blood pressure
• Skin freezing up and cracking
• Blindness
• Hair loss
• Cancer

On the mental side of things, along with the loss of their body being unable to regulate its heat, people have reported symptoms such as:

• Seizures
• Onset of schizophrenia
• Catatonia
• A desire to 'join the cold', with the infected wandering out into the frozen wasteland.

Treatment

The main way to attempt to cure someone suffering from Acute Freezing Syndrome is to keep them in a warm, insulated area; preferably next to a fireplace. They are to be fed spicy and hot foods such as hot-peppers; and are to be regularly injected with Anti-Frost medicine and RadNull¹. In the event of the infected suffering from seizures or expressing a desire to join the cold, they are to be restrained to a bed for the duration of the illness. While it's not common for someone to survive the sickness, there have been a few reported cases of someone thankfully getting through, albeit not without being rather screwed up afterward.

Prognosis

In a majority of cases, the disease ends with the infected's death. Generally, it will be from their body shutting down from the cold, their lungs freezing up and cutting off all oxygen to the brain, their bodies falling apart from the combination of freezing and seizures, or from wandering out into the frozen wasteland to 'join the cold' as they end up desiring. Assuming the person survives, however, depending on how much effort was put into taking good care of the infected, they will have anything from damaged nerves in their limbs; to the aforementioned schizophrenic tendencies that occur, discoloration of the skin, or blindness. Not everyone will have the same after effects from the syndrome.
Regardless, however, the only certain thing that effects all survivors is their inability to regulate their body heat, which means they will be more susceptible to various illnesses that relate to the temperature of their body, including Frostbite and Incedinary Expulsion Overdose.

Prevention

As long as someone keeps their distance from any Living Ice in their area, as well as remain well clothed and insulated when they are travelling, they will be able to avoid getting this sickness. When they are being chased by a Living Ice, they must do whatever it takes to escape from the monster; as being infected by the disease would be a fate worse than being killed by the Living Ice. Likewise, travellers are often recommended to keep bug spray on hand, assuming they have any of that on hand that hasn't froze over.

History

When the Living Ice began to appear sometime after the world froze over from World War III, people quickly began to report the first symptoms of Acute Freezing Syndrome as they were infected by it. While humans were quick to learn to avoid the creatures and take precautions to try and assist those who were infected by the disease, it's widely speculated that a majority of the deaths that weren't from the Nuclear Edenite Bombs, the winter that followed, and attacks from Living Ice were from those who had obtained this illness.

Type

Viral

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Uncommon

Affected Species

• Human
• Living Ice
• Icequito

¹Pages for Anti-Frost and RadNull are coming soon.