Feedback on status of infectious diseases in DayZ

[rocket 16567]

After much research and discussion with my brother (a virologist with the ESR in NZ), I can give some details about the status of infectious disease in DayZ.

Infection disease is a big deal in DayZ. A very big deal. It is likely it will be more of a fear than zombies themselves. It could even become a form of weapon.

I made the following comment on reddit:

Cholera, Typhoid fever, Dysentery, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Leptospirosis, Tuberculosis, Viral Meningitis, Bacterial Meningitis, Common cold, Influenza

By no means final, mechanisms for all have not been confirmed but that's the current working list. You must find specific antibiotics for the infection. You only receive information on your symptoms, never on your infection. Furthermore, you can sometimes find the vaccines (if they exist in the real world) for most of these conditions. Many of these conditions will only really affect late-game characters.

I'll try to give more detail soon, but the major routes of transmission are waterways, contamination of food, blood-to-blood (e.g. during melee), infected clothing off fresh kill, and so forth.

[rocket 16567]

Current antibiotics include:

Doxycycline, Tetracycline, ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, penicillin, rifampin

[Feral (DayZ) 622]

sweet =) roll on SA

[Michaelvoodoo25 3120]

OH NO! hard as hell time!

Whats a late game character?

Edited November 21, 2012 by Michaelvoodoo25

[4dyce 1]

Awesome... Just Awesome i really cant wait!

[nik21 287]

Nice, I was looking forward to something like this. Is it possible to become a zombie yourself?

[ryanburrett@hotmail.com 40]

nice

[knifely 34]

What about a field test on, say contaminated clothes? Will there be an item you need to find to be able to check it?

[SmashT 10907]

Dragging corpses into a pond?

[Mr Nasty 1023]

I like the idea.

I know the formation of labs has been mentioned and would be curious if players would be able to 'craft' meds to alleviate symptoms by collecting ingredients (granted theyve collected the necessary parts to form a lab). Maybe notes or recipes for medicines/poisons could be found in military med tents.

[rocket 16567]

My brother is working with me, there will be some kind of point-of-care technology for some of the problems, most likely battery powered. There are point of care testing devices currently, though not many, but it is also very much the future for testing.

Beyond that, my desire is to allow people to create a lab. This is tabled well into next year, and would assume dramatic progress on other parts next year. so who knows.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

I like where this is going... The thought of the more high population areas becoming a big health risk is mind boggelingley exciting when it comes to gameplay and the way it could effect player/group behaviour/dynamics.

Edited November 21, 2012 by Fraggle

[Bludy 324]

this is simply awesome, but some of those diseases actually kill you in years(some in 24h!) so we should expect some permanent symptoms like coughing if you get tuberculosis(if it gets your lungs)?

and some can be survived simply keeping dehidratation under control..so will we have a different impact if we catch fever for dissenteria or for something worst or fever will be fever and so on? sorry if i'm not clear..

[knifely 34]

this is simply awesome, but some of those diseases actually kill you in years(some in 24h!) so we should expect some permanent symptoms like coughing if you get tuberculosis(if it gets your lungs)?

and some can be survived simply keeping dehidratation under control..so will we have a different impact if we catch fever for dissenteria or for something worst or fever will be fever and so on? sorry if i'm not clear..

Brings up a good point, permanent. What would stop someone, after getting TB doe example, from dropping all their loot in a tent, commiting suicide and collecting it again?

[rocket 16567]

this is simply awesome, but some of those diseases actually kill you in years(some in 24h!) so we should expect some permanent symptoms like coughing if you get tuberculosis(if it gets your lungs)?

and some can be survived simply keeping dehidratation under control..so will we have a different impact if we catch fever for dissenteria or for something worst or fever will be fever and so on? sorry if i'm not clear..

Exactly, most of the diseases are survivable if enough fluid is consumed, and the symptoms are also very common between them all. There will be small differences, and there is not a great deal of ingame help about what you actually have. Researching the diseases on the internet will be the best solution, hopefully finding antibiotics and then making a best guess at which antibiotics to use.

We're also considering how disease is introduced into the world, we may introduce it into one area and then track it's spread, providing some potentially interesting data on psychology and the spread of disease.

[Dancing.Russian.Man 1631]

I'll try to give more detail soon, but the major routes of transmission are waterways, contamination of food, blood-to-blood (e.g. during melee), infected clothing off fresh kill, and so forth.

So wait. Will you -actually- be able to take clothing off of zombies you've killed?

On-topic, though, I think that's a pretty damn interesting and exciting idea!

[Rastamaus 323]

invisible threat, ain't nuthin scarier than a killer you can't see

[mzltv 2281]

Furthermore, you can sometimes find the vaccines (if they exist in the real world) for most of these conditions. Many of these conditions will only really affect late-game characters.

Now, I'm no medical student but I believe even though there are vaccines to some of these, there are (as far as I know) no cures for meningitis? Maybe that's just me being a doltz, but if that is the case, can we assume that some of these diseases (if caught) can be a terminal sentence?

Don't want to seem like I know better or 'owt, because I sure as hell don't - I'm stoked that there's been so much consideration and work put into a tiny aspect of DayZ.

Edited November 21, 2012 by mzltv

[terrvik 2409]

Will some diseases pass by themselves over time or must a cure be found?

[Skat3rat 1633]

I like the idea a lot. One thing I was thinking about that could make the zombies an even bigger threat is if they could do a lot more damage to you when they hit you. Kind of like in chernarus apocalypse. Maybe not kill you in three hits but still do more damage. That along with diseases would make them a real threat.

[Bludy 324]

sincerely i'd have fun living like a ill survivor...in any case this would bring a lot more of fear of other players because they could be sick..and a lot more of motivation to play as a medic because you'll have a lot of work! (translation= everywhere kill on sight!)

Exactly, most of the diseases are survivable if enough fluid is consumed, and the symptoms are also very common between them all. There will be small differences, and there is not a great deal of ingame help about what you actually have. Researching the diseases on the internet will be the best solution, hopefully finding antibiotics and then making a best guess at which antibiotics to use.

We're also considering how disease is introduced into the world, we may introduce it into one area and then track it's spread, providing some potentially interesting data on psychology and the spread of disease.

this is really interesting, i hope we will have the data available! as a med student i'm so excited about this! the whitelist meds should start study!

Edited November 21, 2012 by smasht_AU

[Welch (DayZ) 756]

I like the biological warfare idea.....

I want mustard gas!

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

As well as the whole medic thing (which is how I enjoyed playing for quite a while) it's the way groups will deal with this that I find interesting. If you have a group and one of your members has a disease that you really aren't sure how to cure then I'm sure there'll be some outcasts wandering around.

Also, the potential for medics being even more of an asset is great news for me.

[Michaelvoodoo25 3120]

. Researching the diseases on the internet will be the best solution, hopefully finding antibiotics and then making a best guess at which antibiotics to use.

Why not have the info available in game?

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

Good point. Although in Chernarus, as in the real world, I guess there would be people with this knowledge already. Allowing a bit of cheeky meta-gaming kind of fills in this hole. Or not. I'm still thinking about it :/ .