GURPS epidemiology help sought

[Rasputin]

Is there anyone on this forum who has some background working with diseases, like a doctor or epidemiologist? I'm writing a Pyramid article and would like someone knowledgeable to double-check what I've written, being as that I only have a journalism degree, so not only am I not a doctor, but I don't play one on television since I'm not an actor either.

[Ulzgoroth]

That sounds promising!

I'm in biology, but not epidemiology or medicine. You can probably find better.

[Rocket Man]

Pmandrekar is a geneticist who might be able to lend a hand, or know someone who could.

(And hail to a fellow journalism graduate, by the way! We really should club together on a Latin motto for our guild; I'm thinking a translation of "Sleep is for the weak.")

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by Rocket Man

(And hail to a fellow journalism graduate, by the way! We really should club together on a Latin motto for our guild; I'm thinking a translation of "Sleep is for the weak.")

Tantum debiles dormiunt. (I really should have been a Latin major.)

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Rasputin

Tantum debiles dormiunt. (I really should have been a Latin major.)

"People called the weak, they go the sleep"? ;)

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by RyanW

"People called the weak, they go the sleep"? ;)

Only the weak sleep. Unlike Brian's, my phrase needed no moods other than the indicative or cases other than the nominative.

A little more explanation of my request: I need someone to look over a bunch of real-world diseases I wrote up.

[acrosome]

I started working on a disease list, once, mostly to use in post-apocalyptic settings. Never had time to finish it. It's a big job- lot's of time spent with the Merck Manual. A list (with a preponderance of food- and water-born examples):

Amoebic Dysentery

Anthrax (Bio-Tech p.113)
Popular biological weapon

Botulinum Toxin (Bio-Tech p.113)

Botulism
This disease is a food poisoning caused when spores of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum are allowed to germinate in anaerobic conditions- classically, in a can or other airtight sealed food container that has not been properly sterilized or has had its integrity somehow breached.

Bubonic Plague (Bio-Tech p.113)

Cholera (Reign of Steel: Will to Live p.48)

Campylobacter Food Poisoning
This bacterium is found in animal (including human) feces, and is currently the most common pathogen causing bacterial food poisoning in the world, comprising over 75% of such infections.

Clostridial Food Poisoning
Though caused by the same organism responsible for gas gangrene this is typically a mild form of food poisoning.

Cryptosporiasis

Dengue Fever

Diptheria

Ebola (?)
And Marburg?

Enterohemorrhagic E. coli Food Poisoning

Giardiasis

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

Hantavirus
North America's own cute hemorrhagic fever.

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis C

Influenza (Bio-Tech p.113)

Leprosy

Listeriosis

Malaria

Measles

Mumps
Sterility?

Polio

Q Fever
Popular biological weapon

Rabies

Salmonellosis

Shigellosis
A kind of dysentery,

Smallpox
Another popular biological weapon- some intensely terrifying variants were made by the Soviets, including one that doesn't cause pox and thus is difficult to diagnose clinically.

Spongiform Encephalopathies
Mad Cow (aka variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob) and everyone's favorite: Kuru! While fascinating, I don't see much point in stats for Fatal Familial Insomnia. That's (thank the Maker) not transmissible and is covered by the Terminal Illness disadvantage...

Spotted Fevers
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Mediterranean Spotted Fever, Queensland Tick Typhus (all spread by ticks) or Scrub Typhus (spread by “chigger” mites).

Tuberculosis

Tularemia (Bio-Tech p.113)

Typhoid

Typhus

Viral Gastroenteritis
meant to represent a variety of viral infections causing diarrhea and/or vomiting which are spread by fecal-oral contamination of food or, more commonly, water. Such viral infections are much more common than bacterial infections. Possible pathogens include noroviruses, rotaviruses, enteroviruses, etc. These tend to be annoying but not life-threatening infections, except to the very young, very old, or infirm.

Yellow Fever

Of course, you could just subsume all of those bacterial food poisonings under one heading and just randomize the severity somehow to represent different pathogens. Botulism would still need it's own entry, though. You could randomize the dysenteries, too... Damn, now you've got me interested in this again. But if you're publishing a Pyramid article, why would I bother? :)

[Buzzardo]

Interesting thread.

Hepatitis D and E also exist, by the way. I'd heard of D, but I didn't know about E until I looked up D for this thread.

[acrosome]

Originally Posted by Buzzardo

Interesting thread.

Hepatitis D and E also exist, by the way. I'd heard of D, but I didn't know about E until I looked up D for this thread.

True, but they're both oddballs (A, B, and C are the heavy hitters) and not likely to be significant in a gaming setting. Though, of course, neither is Kuru- but everyone loves Kuru.