Viedre's Torment, the Galloping Shits

Name Official 

Viedre's Torment. Common - Galloping Sh*ts.

Analogue Name

Cholera

Race Affected

Viedre's Torment affects humans, elves, orks, dwarves, Dvorkinnians, Xia'cri, and monkeys. Individuals suffering from malnutrition, the young, the old, immune deficient individuals, and people with gastric ulcers are all at greater risk of contracting and of dying from Viedre's Torment.

Symptoms and Complications

Viedre's Torment is a rapid-acting, very severe form of diarrhea. At first, it may be taken for a simple stomach upset, as the early signs may include nausea and acute abdominal pain. The rapid dehydration caused by the worsening diarrhea, however, (up to twenty liters of fluid stool may be lost in a day!) quickly results in a typical pattern. The stool is extremely watery, and has a milky white appearance.

Thirst, general weakness, and muscle cramps are the first effects of the fluid loss. As the disease progresses, the body's tissues become limp (lose turgor) - the eyes become sunken, the skin shriveled and inelastic. Towards the end the skin and mucous membranes may gain a blueish tinge (cyanosis). Without proper treatment, most of those hit with Viedre's Torment will die of hypovolemic shock within hours of the time they begin to show the symptoms. Kidney failure may result even with treatment.

Children infected with Viedre's Torment may have fever and convulsions in addition to the symptoms noted in adults.

Causative Organism/Source

Vibrio cholerae, a curved rod-shaped bacterium.

Method of Infection

Viedre's Torment is contracted by ingestion. It takes between two and five days after the initial infection for symptoms to appear. It is usually spread in water contaminated by infected sewage, although it may also be present in improperly cooked food. Direct person-to-person transmission through contact is rare, but not unknown. Survivors of the disease may become carriers (the bacterium responsible may continue to live in their bodies without being apparent.) Those who do not develop symptoms may also be carriers.

Prevention/Treatment

Proper sanitation - clean water, hand washing, and cooked food - is all that is needed to prevent the onset of Viedre's Torment.

The primary treatment for the disease is the replacement of fluids until the body can fight off the infection on its own. A solution consisting of water, sugar, and salt is administered orally in large amounts until the diarrhea stops. After fluid loss ceases, the treatment is continued until the patient is rehydrate. Even with the proper medical care, only twenty percent of patients survive. Without treatment death rates increase vastly.