Knox Infection
| Knox Infection | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Lore |
| Type | Lore |
| Spread By | Bites, scratches and lacerations |
| Also Called | Knox Virus |
The Knox Infection is the zombie disease at the centre of Project Zomboid. It is highly contagious and always fatal, and it strikes only humans. It differs from the common cold, food poisoning and ordinary wound infection. The disease drives the whole Knox Event.
The infection matters to every run because nothing cures it. Once a survivor catches it, death and reanimation follow. Every zombie in Knox Country is a victim of the disease. A single bite ends a character's story. This is why careful fighting and avoiding crowds matter so much.
Knox Infection History
Little is known about where the disease came from. Its first known outbreak begins in Kentucky. Rumours in the game offer several origins. Some blame misfolded proteins in Spiffo's meat. Others blame a bioweapons test gone wrong. Some call it God's punishment for the sins of man. Others suspect terrorism.
The first outbreak begins in early July 1993. The military quickly sets up an Exclusion Zone to contain it. At first the government describes the illness as flu-like. Panic and confusion spread among the sick. The disease passes through fluid contact, mainly bites and scratches.
Some days after the blockade goes up, the World Health Organization grounds ordinary international flights. The order causes panic across the nation. Foreign leaders condemn the United States for its lack of clarity. A photo leaks out of West Point. It shows a bloodied, bitten man in a street crowded with the dead.
About a week into the event, shots and explosions ring out at the border of the zone. The noise draws the infected, and a huge crowd breaks through the blockade. Within days the infection spreads north to Louisville. The military blows the bridges across the Ohio River as a last resort. Louisville is left to fend for itself.
The disease then mutates into an airborne strain. People fall sick without any contact with the infected. The Knox Infection spreads across the country and society breaks down. It even reaches Europe, Asia and Africa despite the flight ban. By the end of July 1993 the whole world is overrun.
Knox Infection Gameplay
In play, only a zombie attack passes on the Knox Infection. Bites, scratches and lacerations from zombies can all carry it. A bite always infects. Scratches and lacerations carry a smaller risk. Injuries from any other cause never spread the disease. Every playable survivor is immune to the airborne strain.
The game never states that a character is infected. The first signs appear within hours. The character feels stressed and then queasy, and body temperature rises. The sickness then grows worse in stages, ending in fever and death. Health drains faster as the symptoms grow. Staying well fed, well watered and free of a cold slows the decline. Nothing halts or reverses it. Disinfecting a bite leaves the infection in place.
An infected character rises as a zombie shortly after death. This happens whatever the actual cause of death. The Resilient trait slows the infection. The Prone to Illness trait speeds it up.
Sandbox settings can change the disease. Transmission can be set to saliva only, to everyone infected, or turned off. Infection Mortality sets how long the illness takes to kill. Reanimate Time sets how soon an infected corpse rises.
Notes
- A zombie bite always passes on the Knox Infection.
- Scratches and lacerations from zombies carry a smaller risk.
- Stress, queasiness and rising temperature are the first signs.
- An infected character rises as a zombie after any death.
- The Resilient trait slows the infection, and Prone to Illness speeds it up.
- Sandbox settings can change transmission, mortality and reanimation time.
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