Synapses
A mysterious illness is spreading across the regions of Gholgoth and Varathron. As it reaches epidemic proportions, the danger of political instability and infection looms before more than just these titanic regions, but threatens the safety and health of billions of lives in the wider international community.
Hello and thank you for your interest in SINS OF NATURE! The communities of Gholgoth and Varathron would like to welcome and encourage you to join us in telling this story of infection, illness, and pandemic.
This thread is meant to serve all Out-Of-Character Purposes of the In-Character (IC) Thread, from questions to comments to further information not available elsewhere. As such, here we will be coordinating every nation’s involvement, the spread of the plague, research into the disease, and eventually the development of a vaccine.
In particular, this first post will maintain a full pathology of the disease, as well as keep up-to-the-date statistics of Morbidity (illness) and Mortality (death), and a few helpful definitions of geographical locations.
If you want to get involved in this story, feel free to contact me personally through telegram, IRC (via Gholgoth's Public Channel on Esper.net: #Gothic_Sanctum), or by posting here in this thread. Also, feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments here too.
A Map of Disia, Circa December 28, 2011 is available to familiarize people with population centers, please keep in mind this is a map from the Disian Campaign of Varathron War and is thus cluttered with military symbols irrelevant to the current story.
Statistics of Morbidity and Mortality
Disia (Drakonian Imperium)
Region: Varathron
Morbidity: 1,254 Documented Cases
Mortality: 239 Documented Cases (35% of all Cases)
Influenza Morbidity: Between 5,000 to 10,000 Cases
Mille Mortifere (Drakonian Imperium)
Region: Gholgoth
Morbidity: 57 Documented Cases
Mortality: 6 Documented Cases
Influenza Morbidity: Between 1,000 to 5,000 Cases
Shen Almaru (Emporer Pudu)
Region: Gholgoth
Morbidity: No Known Cases
Mortality: No Known Cases of Blood Fever; 1 Case of Native Ritual Sacrifice
Imbrinium
Region: Greater Dienstad
Morbidity: No Documented Cases
Mortality: 1 Documented Case
Pathology
Varathron Blood Fever is a highly infection and severe disease caused by a RNA Virus; it is noted by its violent late stage symptoms, which are often fatal.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of the disease is particularly difficult due to the similarity of symptoms in the early stages of the disease, which mimic those of Influenza and other Flu-like Diseases. Further complicating matters as many as 33% of all infections are believed to be Asymptomatic, showing no symptoms and potentially never presenting symptoms.
Symptoms and Disease Progression
The disease generally progresses very rapidly with the first symptoms appearing suddenly after only two to four from initial exposure. Onset of symptoms is acute and severe. Usually the first symptoms felt are chills or extreme fatigue, though high fever is also an early symptom. Other symptoms prevalent through the early stages of the disease may include:
- Fever, body temperatures ranging from between 38-39°C/100-103°F.
- Chills, shivering and shaking (rigor).
- Cough
- Nasal Congestion
- Rhinorrhea, a runny nose.
- Myalgia, body Aches, especially of the Joints and Throat.
- Malaise, Lethargy, and Fatigue
- Headache
- Irritated or Watering Eyes
- Flushing, Reddened Eyes, Skin, Mouth, Throat, and Nose.
- Petechial Rash
In children, further symptoms of Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea, and Abdominal Pain may be present.
The sickness will generally persist for between three to four days to as long as a week. In as many as a third of all cases, after four to eight days more severe and life threatening symptoms manifest. These violent symptoms can persist for another three days to as much as week and often result in death. Later stage symptoms of the disease may include:
- Severe Fever, with body temperatures potentially spiking as high as 42°C/108°F.
- Upper Respiratory Hemorrhaging, bleeding of the Nose, Mouth, and Throat.
- Dyspnea, shortness of breath.
- Pneumonia, from blood or other fluids filling the lungs.
- Nausea
- Vomiting of Blood
- Diarrhea
- Shock, as a result of Blood Loss.
- Sepsis
Due to the potentially fatal late stage symptoms, secondary infections are a particular risk; both a direct viral or secondary bacterial pneumonia, an infection of the lungs, are common. The severity of the later stages of the disease may also cause an aggressive and potentially fatal immune response, known as a Cytokine Storm.
Transmission and Pathophysiology
An individual is infectious as early as two days before symptoms appear and continuing through most of the infection until symptoms abate. Transmission is primarily from contact with infected bodily fluids, such as mucus or blood. Early in the disease this is primarily from aerosols produced from sneezing, coughing, and spitting. However, tactile contact with infected fluids such as hand-to-mouth, hand-to-nose, hand-to-eye and other contact such as handshakes and kissing may also transmit the disease. Contact with blood from late stage hemorrhaging may also transmit the disease.
The mechanism through which the virus acts is not fully understood. However, the similarities of the symptoms to Influenza, seems to indicate that the virus operates in a comparable fashion; inhibiting the Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, resulting in lower Cortisol Levels, and promoting a Cytokine response from the immune system.
The virus is believed to invade cells by cleavage of Hemagglutinin Protein using one of several Human Proteases. Once inside the cell, the virus would use the cell to replicate itself and then leave the dead cell. The bleeding is believed to be the result of dead tissue produced during the rapid explosion in viral production during later stages of the disease.
Prognosis and Lethality
Lethality of the disease is believed to be as high as 35%. Though with sufficient medical care and attention it may be reduced to ranges from 10% to 20%.
The primary difficulties in reducing mortality are detection (as the disease is difficult to diagnose from other common seasonal infections) and the development of a vaccination. Limited immunity may exist in some communities, though a lack of research means no cases of immunity have yet been documented.
Death may occur from a number of symptoms, extremely high fever, Blood loss and hemorrhaging in the upper respiratory system, shock, sepsis, and complications as a result of secondary infections such as pneumonia.
Definition of Geographical Locations
Gholgoth - Region composed of some of the largest nations, empires, and superpowers of NationStates.
Varathron - Adjacent Region to Gholgoth, somewhat independent, but intricately related through a series of colonies and loose associations.
Drakonia - Most references to Drakonia refer to the mainland and ancestral home of the Drakonian people, located outside, and some distance from, Gholgoth and Varathron.
Disia - A Drakonian Colony located in Varathron; maintains a loose and somewhat autonomous relationship with the Imperial Government in Drakonia, but is still considered an important part of the Imperium due to its rich natural resource.
Imperium - Refers to the Drakonian Empire, ruled by the Praetor, Augustus Drake, his Queen, Jolené Sutherland, and consisting of disparate realms, protectorates, territories, and colonies, including, but not limited to, Drakonia, Disia, and Mille Mortifere. (Please Note, this definition only applies to its use in post by myself, as other Gholgothic Powers and NationStates also use the term, Imperium, to represent their governments.)
Mille Mortifere - A Drakonian Territory located in Gholgoth; maintains a largely autonomous relationship with the Imperial Government in Drakonia, but is considered vital to the Drakonia economy due to its location on Gholgoth's major east-west shipping lanes.
Shen Almaru - A Colony of the Pantokratic Dominate of Emporer Pudu located in the region of Gholgoth.
