The Walking Death

I told them not to mess with it! I told them! do they listen to me? no, of course not. No, they go and make Uanga that! At this point, Yeikish can have them.

— A Gra Ujan science teacher trying his very best

It is surpising how often we are surpised at what can be created when someone is sufficiently bored enough. Especially if that someone is a bright teenager without proper morals and supervison, surrounded by all sorts of things that bubble and burn seprately.
All it took was one uncorked vial and a curious mind to make one of the worst illneses Migaeth and the surrounding lands had seen in 500 years.

What exactly is it

Dajer Ekhirkhar Ngreiroing is it's official name, and a very descriptive one at that, though most people just call it the Walking Death. Dramatic I know. The illness, while not common or particularly contagious, developed such a reputation that at word of an outbreak, all neighboring towns and countries cease comtact untill the outbreak is eradicated for fear of it spreading.

Symptoms

The first sypmtom is a lite red tint to your eyes. In the dark, they seem to glow a little, but it couls also easily be a trick of the light. This tint will only get stronger as the Walking Death progresses.
Next comes unexplained anger. It builds in the infected, gradually growing from slight, constant annoyance to discomfort to true anger to blinding rage. It could take 6 weeks for 6 months, but it does gradually build. The stronger the original infection, the faster the anger takes root.
When it reaches its peak, that's when the murders tend to start. The host seems to completely dissappear in the rage. Any self controle they had is severed and they act on base instinct only. At this point, they will rampage until dead. Neither pain nor bonds will hold them back. Some of the first cases were bound and or caged. The resulting reports detailing how the infected person quite literally ripped themselves apart to get free are horrifying enough to make just killing them the known merciful option.

Transmission

Patient 0

From what little various authorities have been able to gather, Patient 0 is infected by some sort of liquid or spell or gas--something delibrit. The meathod appears to be able to change forms if reports can be trusted, but whatever the infection method its vaguely red and minorly sparkly. The important peice of information is that Patient 0 is infected intentionally. Infection can not happen accidentally.

Subsequent Transmission

Once patient 0 is infected, than the Walking Death is transmitted through bodily fluids, usually blood. While the patient is off on their rampage, some people do end up escaping the initial attack. unfortunately, these people, if they were injured, are likely now infected with the Walking Death and need to be quarentined to watch for symptoms.
Other meathods of infection include sharing a cup with an infected or kissing or even skin absorbing too much sweat from and infected. Once infected, it can be imeadiately transmitted to someone else, even if symptoms are not yet manifesting. In a friendly place, the Illness spreads quickly, but burns out quickly too. If everyone is ill too fast, no one has time to go spread it somewhere else before the bloodbath starts.

Origin

Look, I don't know what she combined. There are all sorts of things in my lab and we were activly studying infectious diseases--yes I keep cultures to show them, hands on learning is the best kind of learning. what? no, I don't have locks in my classroom, you think there's room in the budget for locks?

— The soon to be former science teacher

Due to the method of it's creation, no one is really, quite sure what went into the volitile mixture after that curious, bored, badly supervised student made it, nor what happened to the bubbling vial after the school went on lock down. But, after searching through the wreckage, there are some broad guesses. The base is likely some version of Hepatitis. Iron tree sap is likely a main comonent as well, considering the color. Then some sort of advanced magical agent. Beyond that, it's anyone's guess.

Type

Magical

Origin

Engineered

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired & Congenital

Rarity

Extremely Rare

Why It's So Scary

Looking at the symptoms and the diagnostic criteria of the Walking Death you'd think you'd know why it's so terrifying to hear about an outbreak. People spontaniously turning into slow, deliberate, bloodthirsty killers is a scary thing, especially when they seem unstopably until they are forcibly stopped (killed).
And you'd be almost right, that is why this desease is so scary. Almost. But there are an unusual amount of mind altering, scary illnesses out there that societies have learned how to work around and deal with.
No, what really freaks governments and healthproviders out is that, as of now, there is no cure. Nothing to counteract the physical and mental affects, nothing to slow it down, nothing to stop it from killing the host and everything in the hosts broad path.
The only thing--and I mean only thing--that gets rid of the problem, is finding and killing patient 0 of that particular outbreak. Once the original infector is gone, then the rest follow. In death, to be clear. Everyone infected will die, it's guarunteed.