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Black Pox
Black pox is caused by the Variola arma virus, a Capitol engineered bioweapon derived from cryogenically frozen specimens of the Variola majora virus, the cause of small pox.
Transmission
Transmission occurs through the inhalation of airborne Variola arma virus. The engineering of the virus enables prolonged viability away from a host, allowing for the virus to spread through air duct systems. Human to human transmission occurs primarily through face to face contact between an infected and uninfected individual, through droplets of bodily fluid containing the virus. Direct contact with infected bodily fluids and contaminated objects are secondary sources of infection.
Signs and Symptoms
The incubation period averages 7 days between contraction and first symptoms. Once inhaled, the Variola arma virus invades the respiratory mucosa and regional lymph nodes. Initial symptoms include low grade fever, headache, and muscle pain, similar to more minor virial infections and the cause of initial misdiagnosis.Infected individuals become infectious when small red lesions appear on the mucous membranes of the mouth, tongue, palate, and throat at the end of the incubation period. After the appearance of the lesions, 3 to 5 days later, hemorrhaging begins as sub-conjunctival bleeding, turning the whites of the eyes deep red. At this stage, death often occurs due to hemorrhages forming on the spleen, kidney, and/or liver. A decrease in coagulation factors has been noted in autopsies of deceased individuals.The 36% that survive the initial hemorrhagic period, lesions often remaining confined to the mucous membranes, will develop skin lesions after an additional 2 days. The dark appearance of the sub-cutaneous bleeding gives the disease its name. The subdermal hemorrhages often prove fatal due to hypoxia. In less than 3% of cases, individuals are asymptomatic but remain infectious. The most notable asymptomatic case is patient zero, Lewis Bobbin, one of three refuges from District 8 who had escaped Capitol captivity and reached District 13. It is speculated that Lewis Bobbin, along with the other refugees, were infected by Capitol scientists and allowed to escape to District 13 in order to infect the population therein.
Treatment
None available. >> EDIT MODE>> ADD SECTION
Conclusion
We are all going to die. District 13 is finished. There is no vaccine. There is no treatment.Alma Coin is dead.Her successor, Ernest Blanchard, is now displaying lesions to the mouth despite having been put in a sterile isolation room to prevent infection. Something must have gone wrong with the air filters.The fatality rate is 64%. Secondary infections from the open skin lesions have increased total fatality to nearly 75%. Survivors remain infectious for an as yet undetermined period of time.The required foundation population for Homo sapiens has been approximated at 160 individuals. That permits a stable population for around 20 generations.Of individuals who were not infected by the black pox and still fertile after the grey plague, we scrapped together three groups of 180 individuals, divided evenly between men and women of breeding age. The few children in District 13 were then divided evenly amongst the groups, preferably not with their parents to promote genetic diversity.The groups have headed north, to old observation and military outposts in the Frozen Wastes.One group has already lost ten members to the black pox. Someone amongst them is asymptomatic and we have no idea who. There is still no test to detect the virus with any certainty and we speculate asymptomatic infections are largely due to low viral load and could not be detected anyways.We've had a good go at it, haven't we? Nearly took down the Capitol once, which started the greatest Cold War since the US and the USSR squared off. Nearly turned the war hot a year ago. That failed spectacularly. The Mockingjay just died, wasn't martyred like we had planned on in the case of her death.Hopefully some of our communications will reach someone, somewhere. We picked up a broadcast coming from the direction of the former British Isles. Couldn't make it out, but we sent something back that way nonetheless.Don't know who is going to read this. All my colleges are dead. I'm dying, one of the lucky 36% to get to the subdermal phase. No one else left has enough medical training to even bother with reading this.If you're from the Capitol. Well played.If you're from one of the Districts. Sorry that we couldn't do it. We tried to beat them. Really we did.If you're from the future, when words like Capitol and District are distant memories. Well done.Godspeed, everyone. Godspeed and Godbless and see you all on the other side.