Lanncheck Epidemic

Plague / Epidemic

The Lanncheck epidemic was caused by a bacterial agent originating on New Athens, a mutation of a previously-innocuous saprophytic mycobacterium probably latent within colonial population. It caused spongiform ulcerations in the esophagus, stomach and small intestines and had a lethality rate of nearly 19%. It appeared among attendees returning from a diplomatic summit between the Skalni Union and New America, and in various ports they had touched on their journeys.

The Intercolonial Health Council's Transmissible Conditions Controls Laboratory isolated the pathogen and in 2698 issued the first Class Four Quarantine Alert according to the recently-updated Decontamination and Quarantine Protocolss. Broad compliance among Signatories helped prevent further spread of the disease. Vaccines were produced and distributed Diaspora-wide by the new Mercy Ship fleet, and the outbreak was controlled by 2704.