Siren Bite
You got bit by a siren? Poor soul. Let's hope that leg doesn't have to go...
Sirens are feared by seafarers for many reasons. Most who get attacked by a Siren won't live to tell the tale. The few lucky survivors might not be so lucky, as their wounds have a high risk of turning septic.
Transmission & Vectors
The only way to get Siren Bite is in the name of the condition - you'll have to be bitten by a Siren. The bacterial flora in a Siren's mouth is transmitted into the bite wound as the teeth sink into the flesh of their prey.
Causes
Why do the Sirens have such a potent bite?
There are many theories. They might not clean their teeth on purpose to produce this specific flora from their food. This leads to more questions - why don't they get sick when swallowing their own saliva? What kind of creature do they eat to produce this specific flora?
Due to the Sirens' hostile nature there hasn't been many studies about the exact nature of the Sirens' saliva. Those who have tried are eaten or have succumbed to the terrible fate of the Siren Bite infection.
Symptoms
The first symptoms show within a day or two after the bite. The wound will have some discharge and show signs of an infection. The skin around the punctures after the teeth will turn red and be hot to the touch. Instead of getting better over time, the pain will increase. The area will swell up somewhat, making the area hard to the touch.
One to two days later more severe symptoms will emerge. The pain will increase, and there will be more pus oozing from the wound. The bitten will run a fever, often making them complain about being cold. By this point, the wound will most likely smell septic. There might be red lines appearing from the wounds. Now the infection is spreading from the bitten area, and survival rate is plummeting.
After this point the condition of the bitten will quickly deteriorate as their body is shutting down. Infection is now spreading through the body, wreaking havoc on everything in its way. The fever will increase, making the body even warmer to the touch, or disappear completely, leaving the skin unnaturally cold and damp. The bitten might become confused, dizzy, restless or lethargic. The pulse will increase, and the bitten will seem short of breath. Soon the bitten will fall into a coma and never wake up again.
Treatment
It's extremely hard to treat Siren Bite as the Siren's teeth are long and narrow, puncturing deep into the tissue. It's impossible to clean the wounds thoroughly. It's still advised to try to clean the wounds as thoroughly as possible, as every bit of bacteria that is removed from the wound will help the body's own immune system to try to fight it off.
Depending on this initial cleaning as well as the patient's own immune system, the body might be able to fight the infection off. In most cases, this won't happen, though. If the infection gets too bad, it will set in the whole body, slowly killing the patient. This is the reason why a lot of doctors will amputate the bitten limb at the first sign that the body won't manage to fight it. This, of course, is impossible if the patient is bitten in the torso.
If the infection goes too far the only thing to do is to try to make the patient's last days as comfortable as possible. Dying from Siren Bite is never going to be a comfortable fate. All that can be done is to give some relief to the pain and suffering.
Prognosis
If nothing is done to treat Siren Bite the bitten individual will most likely die.
Even if the bitten leg is amputated the chance of dying is high - more than half of those who get Siren Bite will succumb to their fate, be it from complications after the amputation or by amputating too late as the infection already spreading through the body. If the bite was in the torso area, the chance of survival is extremely low.
Sequela
Less than half survive Siren Bite. Those who do might be completely fine despite maybe missing a limb and definitely have gained new respect of the ocean.
Others aren't that lucky. There is a danger to become permanently weakened by the infection, even after it's gone from the body. Their stamina is decreased and they're more susceptible to other illnesses as the immune system will never be the same. The area of the bite might become permanently sore or stiff.
Affected Groups
To get Siren Bite a person will need to be in a place where they can encounter Sirens. This is why it's never seen anywhere else than in and around Vutara Bay, as this is the area where the Sirens live. It's almost exclusively seen among seafarers, yet there have been a few reports of people catching Siren Bite on land, though all of these happened within ten meters from the water of the Bay.
Hosts & Carriers
Siren Bite is carried by Sirens. It's unknown if a Siren can get Siren Bite by being bitten by another Siren.
Epidemiology
Luckily, Siren Bite doesn't spread easily. It's only possible to get from an actual bite from a Siren.
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