Sickness is one of DayZ's biggest silent killers. Most illnesses come from dirty water, bad food, cold and untreated wounds. Here is each one, what causes it, and the cure.
The common illnesses
- Cholera — from drinking unsafe water (ponds, dirty bottles) or eating with bloody hands. Causes heavy vomiting that drains water fast. Cure: stay hydrated faster than you lose it, rest, and antibiotics help; prevent it with wells or purified water and clean hands.
- Food poisoning — from raw, rotten or bad food. Vomiting and lost food/water. Cure: it passes with rest, water and often activated charcoal; cook meat and avoid rotten food to prevent it.
- Common cold — from being cold and wet for too long. Sneezing and coughing that give away your position and sap you. Cure: get warm and dry, eat vitamins, rest. See temperature.
- Wound infection — from dirty wounds/rags. Cure: tetracycline and disinfect; see wounds.
The dangerous ones
- Chemical / toxic poisoning — from contaminated (gas) zones without protection, or eating contaminated items. Causes fast health loss and vomiting. Prevent it: wear a gas mask with a working filter and protective clothing (NBC gear) before entering a gas zone, and leave before your filter runs out.
- Hemolytic reaction — from a blood transfusion of the wrong blood type. Test with a blood test kit, use saline instead, or use your own stored blood. See blood.
- Brain prion disease — from eating human meat. There is no cure and it is eventually fatal. Simply never eat human steak.
What to carry
A small med pouch of tetracycline, charcoal tablets, vitamins and disinfectant covers most of the list above. Water purification tablets let you make any water safe, which shuts down the most common killer — cholera.
