Threat of Infection

"Can humans win the battle against disease? Travel through the history of outbreaks, collect contagions, and find ways to combat infection." ― Information Tab

Threat of Infection
Exploration Stats
Episode	12
Theme	Outbreaks
First Start	April 6th, 2024 (beta) May 17th, 2024 (production)
Chronology
Previous	The Power of Images
Next	A Feline Journey

Threat of Infection is a limited time event which focuses on Outbreaks. It features 14 generators and 60 upgrades that produce either Contagions Threat of Infection or Immunity Threat of Infection.

Story

Opening

"The human body seems to be vulnerable to disease. The immune system defends against infection, but it is not always enough. How can humans fight an invisible enemy?"

Ending

"When humans fight infection, they fight evolution itself. Diseases are ever-evolving, and the threat of an outbreak is always looming. Humans must continue to adapt in order to survive."

Objectives & Rewards

The requirements that have to be completed in order to get all rewards.

Explore Outbreaks (12 Requirements)

1. Collect 10 Smallpox → 1 Augmentations Console
2. Collect Documentation, AD 165-180 → 2 Augmentations Console
3. Collect Four Humors → 3 Augmentations Console
4. Collect 125 Human Life → Immune System Badge
5. Collect 5 Syphilis, Questions of Morality → 4 Augmentations Console
6. Collect Parasites and Protists, Aztec Epidemic → 6 Augmentations Console
7. Collect 5 Salmonella, Cocoliztli → 7 Augmentations Console
8. Collect Plague Doctors → Plague Badge
9. Collect 4 Yellow Fever, 8 Tuberculosis → 8 Augmentations Console
10. Collect 500 Human Life → 9 Augmentations Console
11. Collect Extreme Hygiene, Antibiotics → 10 Augmentations Console
12. Collect Medical Technology, 2020-Present → CRISPR Badge

Badges

This exploration holds some rewards already mentioned above. The main ones being these three badges: Bronze: Immune System, Silver: Plague and Gold: CRISPR which have an effect on all other evolutionary branches, speeding up every simulation by 1%, and also speeding up production in future Threat of Infection simulations by 5, 10 and 15% respectively.

Immune System

"The human body is not defenseless when attacked by disease. A robust system of responses is always at the ready, prepared to fight against outside invaders."

Plague

"Yersinia pestis is carried by fleas and the rats they infect, eventually spreading across the human population"

CRISPR

"Cutting-edge technology advances into the twenty-first century, with techniques such as CRISPR being used to edit the genes of bacteria to remove their resistance to antibiotics."

Generators

Icon	Name	Description	Base Cost	Base Production	Requires
	Human Life	Each human body is a biosphere containing trillions of microorganisms. While many of these life forms are beneficial, others invade the body and must be fought off by the immune system.	Threat of Infection 30	Threat of Infection 1/sec	-
	Smallpox	Believed to have existed for at least 3,000 years, smallpox causes itchy, fluid-filled blisters that later scab. It is spread by coughing and sneezing, and also by handling the clothing of the infected.	Threat of Infection 50	Threat of Infection 1/sec	Viruses
	Plague	Transmitted by flea bites, plague manifests in three clinical forms. The most common, bubonic, infects the body's lymph nodes, creating large, pus-filled lumps.	Threat of Infection 75,000	Threat of Infection 200/sec	Bacteria
	Syphilis	A sexually transmitted disease, syphilis causes sores and rashes across the body. Symptoms can flare on and off for years, and in late stages can damage the cardiovascular system and cognitive function.	Threat of Infection 2e11	Threat of Infection 1e8/sec	Bacteria Quarantines
	Malaria	Malaria is spread by a cycle of mosquitos biting infected humans and spreading the parasite to others. The disease causes severe illness and death in Africa for centuries before colonization spreads it across the world.	Threat of Infection 5e12	Threat of Infection 1e10/sec	Parasites and Protists
	Salmonella	Caused by a bacterium common in many animals, humans catch salmonella from drinking contaminated water or eating undercooked food. Infections last up to 4 days in healthy adults, but can cause death due to untreated dehydration.	Threat of Infection 2e17	Threat of Infection 2e13/sec	Bacteria Herbs and Rituals
	Yellow Fever	When infected with the disease, mosquitos can spread yellow fever through human populations. This virus, found in Africa and the Americas, can potentially give severe liver damage, causing yellow skin known as jaundice.	Threat of Infection 4e20	Threat of Infection 2.5e17/sec	Viruses Preservation
	Tuberculosis	Spread through the air by droplets, tuberculosis usually infects the alveoli, flooding them with fluids. It damages the lungs, causing necrosis, making the patient feel like they are drowning.	Threat of Infection 1e24	Threat of Infection 4e20/sec	Bacteria Scientific Survey
	Cholera	After ingesting contaminated food or water, cholera causes extreme dehydration, sometimes turning skin color blue-gray. Nicknamed "the Blue Death," it can become fatal within a few hours of symptoms first appearing.	Threat of Infection 4e27	Threat of Infection 1e24/sec	Bacteria Germ Theory
	Polio	Like cholera, polio spreads when fecal matter contaminates water supplies. The virus attacks the motor neurons of the brain and spine, and in severe cases, can cause total or partial paralysis.	Threat of Infection 3e33	Threat of Infection 2.5e29/sec	Viruses Burning it Down
	Influenza	Spread by the coughs and sneezes of the infected, influenza is marked by severe fatigue, aches, and chills. More than most other viruses, it mutates rapidly, with new strains appearing nearly every year.	Threat of Infection 2e36	Threat of Infection 3e32/sec	Viruses Vaccines
	Typhus	Commonly found in the close, unsanitary contacts brought on by war, typhus is spread by infected lice. Each time one bites a human, it defecates bacteria-rich feces near the wound, providing a pathway to the bloodstream.	Threat of Infection 2e39	Threat of Infection 4e35/sec	Bacteria Fever
	HIV	A sexually transmitted disease, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), damages white blood cells, reducing the immune system's ability to defend itself. HIV has no cure, and if untreated can lead to the development of AIDS.	Threat of Infection 1e43	Threat of Infection 7e38/sec	Viruses Antibiotics
	Coronavirus	The spikes on coronaviruses give them their name, meaning crown. These viruses commonly spread among animals, but when spread to humans, they all can cause respiratory symptoms like bronchitis and pneumonia.	Threat of Infection 5e46	Threat of Infection 5e42/sec	Viruses Antibodies

Upgrades

Miscellaneous Effects

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Effect	Requires
	Viruses	Fragments of foreign genetic information can infect the cells of a person or animal. Viruses cannot reproduce or carry out metabolic processes without a host, leading many scientists to question whether they are alive.	Threat of Infection 25	Contagion Tap gains +1 per tap	Human Life
	Bacteria	Among the simplest of single celled organisms, bacteria comprise 13% of the world's biomass. Tens of thousands of distinct species have been discovered, and 5% of them can cause disease.	Threat of Infection 200,000	Contagion Tap 1.5X	AD 165-180
	Parasites and Protists	Ranging in size from single-celled protists to tapeworms as long as twenty feet, various parasites can cause illness. If untreated, some parasitic diseases can have mortality rates near 100%.	Threat of Infection 1e13	Contagion Tap 1.5X	Questions of Morality

Human Life Efficiency

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Efficiency	Requires
	White Blood Cells	When foreign substances enter the body, white blood cells gather at the point of infection. Some of these cells produce disease-killing proteins while others converge on the survivors, eating what remains.	Threat of Infection 500	150%	Human Life Antonine Plague
	Lymphatic System	A network of lymphatic tubes empties leftover substances from cells and tissues. This system maintains the body's fluid levels, produces white blood cells, and destroys bacteria and viruses in the lymph nodes.	Threat of Infection 1e9	500%	Human Life The Black Death
	Gut Bacteria	The human body contains trillions of bacteria, most of them benign and even necessary for life. They additionally contribute to the body's immune system, competing with harmful bacteria for nutrients and space.	Threat of Infection 3.2e21	800%	Human Life The Blue Death
	Fever	When fighting off infection, the body's internal temperature can rise above 38 degrees Celsius. This slows microbial reproduction and speeds up the chemical processes which contribute to the immune response.	Threat of Infection 1e27	2500%	Human Life Spanish Flu
	Antibodies	Antigens are any substance foreign to the body. When harmful viruses or bacteria are detected, specialized white blood cells release custom proteins called antibodies to neutralize those specific antigens.	Threat of Infection 2e33	500%	Human Life 1494-1928
	Documentation	Greek physician Galen studies and documents the symptoms of each of his patients during the Antonine Plague. Galen doesn't find a cure in his lifetime, but his writings influence physicians for around 1,500 years.	Threat of Infection 10,000	400%	Antonine Plague
	Four Humors	To the Ancient Greeks, a healthy body contains a balance of four humors: bile, black bile, blood, and phlegm. A belief that lasts through the Middle Ages, when these substances are thrown out of balance, illness occurs.	Threat of Infection 2e6	250%	Plague of Justinian
	Fighting the Onryō	Turning to folklore for an explanation, vengeful spirits called onryo are blamed for the smallpox epidemic. They are believed to be warded off by the color red or calmed with appeasing dances.	Threat of Infection 1e8	500%	Japanese Smallpox
	Quarantines	A city in modern Croatia, Ragusa issues the first quarantine in 1377. To protect the city from plague, visitors wait 40 days on a nearby island, threatened with torture and mutilation if they break their isolation early.	Threat of Infection 2e10	1000%	The Black Death
	Quinine	Among the oldest treatments for malaria, quinine is made from the bark of the quina-quina tree to reduce the disease's symptoms. It is a key component in making tonic water, which colonial soldiers use to treat the disease.	Threat of Infection 1e14	50000%	Malaria
	Herbs and Rituals	Aztec medicine is based in religion and herbology. Minor illnesses can be treated with herbal medicine alone, but more serious diseases, such as smallpox, require spiritual supervision from doctors called the ticitl.	Threat of Infection 3e17	5000%	Aztec Epidemic
	Plague Doctors	As plague outbreaks persist through the 1600s, miasma theory states that the scent of rot poisons the air and spreads disease. When treating patients, plague doctors wear flower-filled, beak-shaped masks to ward off the bad air.	Threat of Infection 2e19	300%	The Black Death 1520
	Preservation	Spanish colonizers destroy most of the archives kept by the Aztecs. This inspires indigenous descendants to create detailed accounts of disease and history, ensuring the survival of their legacy in the face of annihilation.	Threat of Infection 3e19	400%	Cocoliztli
	Scientific Survey	Noah Webster writes to physicians across the East Coast, asking for their theories and observations on the cause, spread and treatment of Yellow Fever. He accumulates their testimonies into the world's first scientific survey.	Threat of Infection 6e22	20000%	Summer in Philadelphia
	Germ Theory	First raised in the 1800s, germ theory identifies microorganisms as the cause of disease. This idea revolutionizes medicine and imposes new standards in hygiene for surgical procedures, such as hand washing.	Threat of Infection 7e25	3000%	Urban Epidemic
	Sanitation	During London's 1854 cholera outbreak, physician John Snow marks the locations of those infected on a map. He finds the outbreak's hot spots correlate with the city's water pumps, confirming contaminated water is causing the epidemic.	Threat of Infection 7e28	1500%	The Blue Death
	Burning it Down	Honolulu's Chinatown responds to the plague in 1900 by burning down contaminated buildings. Harsh winds hit the island, pushing the fires toward other homes, burning down most of the city and leaving thousands unhoused.	Threat of Infection 1e33	4000%	Third Plague Epidemic
	Vaccines	By the late 1800's, scientists like Pasteur and Koch identify the microorganisms that cause specific diseases. Weakened strains of these contagions are later used to create vaccines, providing immunity to once-lethal infections.	Threat of Infection 1e35	3000%	The New York Epidemic
	Masking	As Spanish Flu spreads in 1918, officials across the United States advocate for wearing masks. In some cases, newspapers print instructions for making homemade masks, and not wearing one could incur a fine.	Threat of Infection 1e38	2500%	Spanish Flu
	Extreme Hygiene	The rest of the world war's combatants aren't spared from typhus, but they do fight back successfully. Delousing showers become a frequent routine for soldiers, who stand in high heat and steam to kill lice and destroy eggs.	Threat of Infection 8e40	1000%	Russian Outbreak
	Antibiotics	In 1928, Alexander Fleming finds a mold contamination killed some of his bacterial cultures. A decade later, an Oxford team studies this phenemenon and creates the first antibiotic, and cure for syphilis, penicillin.	Threat of Infection 1e42	5000%	Questions of Morality 1918-1922
	Prevention	With the government silent, queer activists take initiative to educate others about HIV. Frequent testing and the use of condoms slow the spread until future treatments make the virus undetectable and untransmittable.	Threat of Infection 3e45	7000%	1494-1928 Silent Government
	Medical Technology	Bacteria and viruses aren't the only ones evolving. As medical technology advances, diseases that once plagued humans can be eradicated. However, humans are always a few steps behind, vulnerable to whichever outbreak comes next.	Threat of Infection 4e48	10000%	Covid-19

Smallpox Efficiency

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Efficiency	Requires
	Antonine Plague	In 165 CE, Rome is at the height of its power. However, soldiers returning from war carry what is most likely smallpox, killing around 2,000 people a day at its peak. By the epidemic's end, a third of the empire is dead.	Threat of Infection 300	300%	Smallpox
	Japanese Smallpox	Buddhist missionaries from Korea travel to Japan in the 6th century, bringing with them deadly waves of smallpox. In the year 735, the disease wipes out 30% of the Japanese population, decimating supply chains and the economy.	Threat of Infection 4e7	5000%	Smallpox Four Humors
	Aztec Epidemic	An unintentional ally during Cortes' invasion of Mexico, smallpox devastates Aztec populations lacking immunity to the virus. It kills up to 8 million people while incapacitating many survivors, leaving them vulnerable to future outbreaks.	Threat of Infection 4e16	2e9%	Smallpox Quinine

Plague Efficiency

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Efficiency	Requires
	Plague of Justinian	Carried by rats and transmitted along trade routes from North Africa, Bubonic Plague hits Constantinople in 542 CE. Further outbreaks continue over the next 225 years, killing nearly a quarter of the empire's population.	Threat of Infection 500,000	200%	Plague
	The Black Death	One of history's most debilitating epidemics, the Black Death spreads across Europe in the mid-1300's. Roughly 1/3 of the overall population perishes in 5 years, with some cities seeing death rates of 50% or even higher.	Threat of Infection 8e9	4000%	Plague Fighting the Onryo
	Third Plague Epidemic	Bubonic plague rears its head once more in 1855, this time hitting every inhabited continent. The world applies everything it learned from previous plagues, but the outbreak still kills 12 million people globally.	Threat of Infection 5e30	1e22%	Plague 1817-1860

Syphilis Efficiency

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Efficiency	Requires
	Questions of Morality	As Western Europeans learn that syphilis is spread by sexual intercourse, it is seen as a sign of wickedness. Infected people are shunned and feared, with some physicians even refusing to treat the disease.	Threat of Infection 1e12	1000%	Syphilis

Salmonella Efficiency

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Efficiency	Requires
	Cocoliztli	Across the 16th century, Mexico is struck by a host of European diseases. Now believed to be salmonella, the Cocoliztli Plague is the worst of these outbreaks, killing as much as 80% of the remaining indigenous population.	Threat of Infection 3e18	2500%	1520 Salmonella

Yellow Fever Efficiency

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Efficiency	Requires
	Summer in Philadelphia	The first pandemic in the United States hits Philadelphia in August of 1793. A tenth of the city's population dies from yellow fever as others flee the city, including President George Washington and his cabinet.	Threat of Infection 1e22	600%	1486 - Present Yellow Fever

Tuberculosis Efficiency

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Efficiency	Requires
	Urban Epidemic	The crowded conditions of industrial cities unleashes tuberculosis in the 1700s. By the late 1800s, it has infection rates close to 100% and is responsible for two out of five of all deaths in the urban working class.	Threat of Infection 2e25	200%	Tuberculosis

Cholera Efficiency

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Efficiency	Requires
	The Blue Death	The first global cholera pandemic emerges from Jessore, India in 1817. The disease spreads across Asia and into Persia, resurging multiple times over the following decades.	Threat of Infection 1e28	400%	Cholera

Polio Efficiency

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Efficiency	Requires
	The New York Epidemic	In 1916, polio devastates the United States' largest city. Entire neighborhoods are walled off, while millions of gallons of water are used daily to wash the streets. In the end, it leaves 20,000 paralyzed and 6,000 dead.	Threat of Infection 8e33	600%	Polio

Influenza Efficiency

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Efficiency	Requires
	Spanish Flu	Infecting half a billion worldwide, by 1920 the Spanish flu kills 50 million people. While other nations practice censorship during World War I, Spain reports on the epidemic, associating the country with the disease.	Threat of Infection 1e37	1000%	Influenza

Typhus Efficiency

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Efficiency	Requires
	Russian Outbreak	As typhus spreads in the trenches of World War I, an already destabilized Russia is ill-equipped to handle such an outbreak. An estimated 30 million Eastern Europeans are infected, with around 3 million fatal cases.	Threat of Infection 1e40	300%	Typhus

HIV Efficiency

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Efficiency	Requires
	Silent Government	The spread of HIV is widely associated with the LGBTQ+ community, creating a stigma around the virus. Thus, the US government remains silent through the epidemic's early years, leading to thousands of preventable deaths.	Threat of Infection 5e44	2500%	HIV

Coronavirus Efficiency

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Efficiency	Requires
	Covid-19	In 2020, the world is confronted with a health crisis that many haven't seen in their lifetime. Governments respond by enacting quarantines and travel bans. The virus claims over a million lives that year alone.	Threat of Infection 2e47	500%	Coronavirus
	New-Age Contagions	The more humans use antibiotics, the more bacteria become resistant to them. Viruses mutate at a rapid pace, making previous vaccines ineffective. As contagions continue to evolve, human countermeasures struggle to keep up.	Threat of Infection 1e48	500%	Covid-19

Disease Outbreaks

Icon	Name	Description	Cost	Effect	Requires
	AD 165-180	Outbreak: Antonine Plague, Infected Population: ~ 20 million, Infected Death Rate: 25%	Threat of Infection 200,000	Smallpox 800% more efficient	Documentation
	AD 541-549	Outbreak: Plague of Justinian, Infected Population: Unknown, Infected Death Rate: 60-85%	Threat of Infection 2e6	Plague 400% more efficient	Four Humors
	735-737	Outbreak: Japanese Smallpox, Infected Population: ~ 4 million, Infected Death Rate: 25-35%	Threat of Infection 3e7	Smallpox 1000% more efficient	Fighting the Onryo
	1346-1353	Outbreak: Black Death, Population: ~ 50 million, Infected Death Rate: 50%	Threat of Infection 4e9	Plague 2000% more efficient	Quarantines Lymphatic System
	1486 - Present	Outbreak: Malaria, Infected: Unknown, Infected Death Rate: 14-28%	Threat of Infection 1e13	Malaria 10000% more efficient	Quinine
	1520	Outbreak: Aztec Smallpox, Infected Population: 5-8 million+, Infected Death Rate: 30-100%	Threat of Infection 2e14	Smallpox 500% more efficient	Herbs and Rituals
	1545-1576	Outbreak: Cocoliztli, Infected Population: 7-17 million+, Infected Death Rate: 60-90%	Threat of Infection 3e16	Salmonella 2000% more efficient	Preservation
	1793-1794	Outbreak: Yellow Fever, Infected Population: ~ 11,000, Infected Death Rate: 30-50%	Threat of Infection 5e18	Yellow Fever 2000% more efficient	Scientific Survey
	1800-1922	Outbreak: Tuberculosis, Infected Population: 4 million+, Infected Death Rate: 80%	Threat of Infection 1.5e20	Tuberculosis 2500% more efficient	Germ Theory
	1817-1860	Outbreak: Cholera, Infected Population: 1 million+, Infected Death Rate: 25-50%	Threat of Infection 3e22	Cholera 2000% more efficient	Sanitation Gut Bacteria
	1900	Outbreak: Third Plague Epidemic, Infected Population: 15 million+, Infected Death Rate: 30-60%	Threat of Infection 1.5e24	Plague 2000% more efficient	Burning it Down
	1916	Outbreak: New York Polio, Population: 27,000+, Infected Death Rate: 5-15%	Threat of Infection 6e25	Polio 2000% more efficient	Vaccines
	1918-1920	Outbreak: Spanish Flu, Infected Population: ~ 500 million, Infected Death Rate: 2.5%	Threat of Infection 4e28	Influenza 1500% more efficient	Fever
	1918-1922	Outbreak: Russian Typhus, Population: 20-30 million+, Infected Death Rate: 20-60%	Threat of Infection 4e29	Typhus 2000% more efficient	Extreme Hygiene
	1494-1928	Outbreak: Syphilis, Infected Population: Unknown, Infected Death Rate: 10%	Threat of Infection 1e31	Syphilis 2e31% more efficient	Antibiotics
	1981-1988	Outbreak: HIV, Infected Population: ~42,000, Infected Death Rate: ~56%	Threat of Infection 9e33	HIV 4000% more efficient	Antibodies Prevention
	2020-Present	Outbreak: Covid-19, Infected Population: 5,817,385, Infected Death Rate: Varies	Threat of Infection 1e36	Human Life 100% more efficient	Covid-19

Tech Tree

Trivia

• This event was formerly named Endless Infections, however, it got renamed to Threat of Infection while it was in the beta.
• The final Contagions upgrade, Medical Technology, costs a whopping 4e48 Contagions, which is the costliest out of all the exploration events so far.
• This is the first event where more than 1 currency is unlocked at a time.
• This is also the first event where 1 generator produces one currency, while the rest produce the other.
• Costing 5e46 Contagions, Coronavirus is the costliest passive generator so far.