On The Subject Of Disease

[nbielinski]

So, in game we have an entire job and guide set up to diseases and study and working on cures for them. But I hope the lore team will not beat me too hard for asking. But what diseases still exist in our lore? I know that's vague but, considering the amount of time has passed in terms of history. I would think that some if not many human diseases and infections would die off, simply be smothered by modern science and die off. I simply wish to know, what diseases WOULD there still be? What microbial invaders would still plague the inhabitants of space. And I don't mean just humans. As was the case in Orson Welles rather interesting take on humans interacting with beings from another planet, disease and bacteria can be tricky to deal with when you're not the same species. So, let me simplify and put my question into the sky for the lore team to peck and ask at.

1) What diseases remain in the universe.

2) Of these, what are actually a threat and could cause panic if left unattended?

3) Are there outbreaks and diseases that have varying effects on other species? Human v. Alien and vice versa.

Now of course this is for later use in IC documents and information, I do not wish to go on a crusade to revamp diseases in game. I simply wish to have this as information of the world outside of Aurora Station. But still in the Aurora Universe. Thank you.

[ForgottenTraveller]

As a non answer from a non lore team person I am just gonna throw some concepts about the real world and the Lore team can/has remove them from the Auroraverse.

Diseases that jump from humans to/from animals on Earth are known as Zoonotic a spitball on the alien variant being Xenonotic. This concept would be far rarer but given the similarity to Earth animals some surface bacterial and fungals would probably have little effort to do just that. On the viral front cold and flu variants or other highly mutagenic diseases. Would be one of the most likely to manage and alien host jump in the shortest timeframe. [Decades to centuries] and as we have seen Spanish Flu, Swine Flu, Bird Flu these new host variants can be rather dangerous, debilitating or even deadly. And the high mutagenic factor of these virus types makes them near impossible to wipe out entirely.

Spread wise. Humanity itself is wide spread across several star systems on planets, moons, stations, and ships. Each of these being a pocket of vectors for a bacteria, fungus or virus to spread to. The travel between these will bring people into contact with each other and people or aliens with no resistance to a particular strain will become infected. Think the Spanish landing in the America's and the Aztec, Maya and Inca pandemics from simple things as colds killing thousands. A simple cold if left unattended could wipe out an entire station with ease if it is isolated from the rest of the human race for long enough.

Skrell and Diona are currently our most alien aliens. Diseases jumping between them would be far more difficult, but humanity has known and interacted with Skrell the longest so the chance of one or two hybrids that can mutate to a few thousand strains as some point is low to good. As said before the similarities to Earth animals of the other races leaves surface bacteria and fungi with and easier time on existing on the new hosts maybe without causing any harm at all as they do with all of us at current until and dangerous strain shows up. Viruses would have the hardest time jumping to these new hosts but the high mutagenic factor once again of some makes it more likely there will be one that will at some point.

On diseases that can/have been removed or severly reduced if the Auroraverse is applied.

Cancer. The big C given the advent of genetic manipulation, targeted genetic change of tumors to make them shrink and die off would be a far easier task than the efforts we have to go to today. While it would still happen and be a risk. I could see it being far rarer and almost commonly nonlethal except for fast growing tumors on one of the vital organs like the brain where it can develop and kill you in six months given the speed detection and treatment in time could be the hardest part and if it has spread to the lymphnodes or is spreading with ease around the body if it has been left for to long would be extremely hard or near impossible to treat and would need regular treatments of the listed above to keep them alive and functioning.

High profile diseases. Such as HIV Aids and for current news Ebola are more likely to be contained/removed from the human and therefore the alien population than most others. Similar to how we have managed to remove Smallpox and that we keep a container of it around encase of a new outbreak so the specialists can compare the two and speed up creating a cure.

Even if most of today's diseases were removed from the universe or even because of that. The 2457 Auroraverse would have similar disease issues as the bad variants can come from symbiotic ones. Constantly changing and evolving viruses would often always remain. And removal of the majority would likely cause a significant lowering of the immune system leading to everyday bacteria we have becoming an issue. Or even for Autoimmune diseases to become the greatest risk if everything is too clean.

So there is a spitball that might help answer some logical RP questions if not the actual question and real Lore.

[Gollee]

After talking to my resident biologist, it is very, very difficult to eradicate a disease, the entirety of a generation has to be immunised to disrupt a disease, while several consecutive generations have to be immunised to kill it.

Now, since colonists left Earth, it can be assumed that they were immunised against diseases, and the areas were sterilised, however, any unlicensed transport from Earth to another world could bring the disease, which would spread like wildfire among the now, un-immune population.

There are also new disease from other worlds, which would have to be thought up.

[Rusty Shackleford]

Cancer would still exist. You can't cure cancer altogether without a full genetic rewrite of the population. And even then mutations will still show up in a generation or two and it'll retake once again.

Also, being in a low-gravity environment results in a weakened immune system, and while the station still has gravity, I imagine that it and other similar stations with simulated gravity probably won't be as effective with it as an actual planet.

Also, space flu is killer, man. Shit makes you blow snot like crazy, then melts your organs, and then gibs you. Gnarly, man.

ALSO

Regard the spread of disease both ways when Europeans showed up in the new world. Most of the indigenous population of the Americas was wiped out by measles, and syphilis spread like wildfire in Europe. Far removed populations develop different diseases, and therefore different immunities that other populations won't have.