Disease
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 | This article is suggested to be rewritten. Reason: Finish table, and standardize all diseases onto a single table. Some missing information. Detail and clarity - see Ailments though that page not perfect or standardized. You can help the RimWorld Wiki by improving it. |
Colonists sometimes contract diseases. Diseases most often occur through random events that vary by biome and difficulty. Infections have a random chance of developing from an injury regardless of biome.
- Note: Infectious diseases are acquired from the world environment, not other "sick" pawns. In RimWorld, no disease is "contagious"; that is, just because a colonist becomes infected with a disease, they are not "carriers" who may make others sick. There are some diseases that are known to strike groups of colonists at the same time (e.g. gut worms), mimicking an outbreak, but pawns can be safely exposed to another pawn that has flu or plague or any ailment without fear of "catching the disease" from that source.
Effects
Diseases cause infected colonists to suffer symptoms, which can vary from disease to disease. Diseases progress through stages of intensity until either the colonist develops immunity or the disease runs its course, usually leading to death. Diseases progression generally follows a pattern of minor -> major -> extreme. The more severe the disease, the more dramatic the symptoms. Diseases are not contagious and do not spread between pawns.
Treatment
At regular intervals, a resting colonist can be treated by a doctor. This slows the progression of symptoms and for most diseases it is critical to treat the colonist as often as possible. You cannot give a new treatment until 3 hours before the expiry of the previous one, and you can see the remaining time by hovering over the disease in the colonist's Health tab. The treatment interval varies for each disease.
Treatment Quality is determined by a variety of factors, including the doctor's skill and the quality of medicine used. Progression of the disease is slowed depending on how good the treatment was.
Immunity: Colonists will gradually develop immunity to potentially fatal diseases, such as wound infections or plague. When immunity reaches 100%, the symptoms will not immediately disappear, but will instead tick backwards towards zero with the colonist no longer needing any treatment. If the disease symptoms progress past 100% before immunity does, the colonist will die. Immunity Gain Speed is affected by the colonist's food, rest, bed quality, age, and blood filtration.
Blood Filtration is a major factor in getting better from diseases. Poor blood filtration may result in sicknesses developing faster than they would usually. Older colonists are more susceptible to sickness than younger ones. Colonists with only one kidney have their blood filtration reduced by 50%.
Diseases
Most diseases have the following:
- General Symptoms - initial symptoms that develop in the first few days of being sick.
- Advanced Symptoms - symptoms that set in when the disease progresses for any reason (e.g. being untreated or gets worse).
- Treatment - some illnesses are treatable with medicine, but not all diseases are treatable, especially chronic diseases.
| Disease | Fatality Potential | Description | Severity | Symptoms | Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infection |  |
generic infection of individual wounds, fast moving and dangerous, mild symptoms unless extreme |
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Severity: <0.33
Severity: >0.33
Severity: >0.78
Severity: >0.87
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| Flu | |
relatively mild, with vomiting, affects breathing and manipulation |
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| Malaria | |
painful, attacks blood filtration and consciousness; more common in jungle biomes |
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| Plague | |
fast moving and extremely painful |
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| Sleeping sickness | |
slow-moving infection that mainly affects consciousness; native only to rainforests and swamps |
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Blood rot |
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blood affliction, easily treated but very long lasting without glitterworld medicine |
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| Scaria | |
only affects animals, drives them to become manhunters, 100% fatal within 5 days if not operated on successfully |
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| Gut worms |  |
non-fatal but painful ailment which doubles hunger rate |
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| Muscle parasites | |
non-fatal, impaired manipulation and movement speed, significant tiredness |
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| Fibrous mechanites | |
non-fatal, very long-lasting, potentially very painful, significant Tiredness but improves manipulation, moving and blood pumping |
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Severity: >=0.5
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| Sensory mechanites | |
non-fatal, very long-lasting, potentially very painful, significant Tiredness but improves sight, hearing, and talking, with some improved manipulation |
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Severity: >=0.5
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Fatal diseases
Though not all are technically "diseases", the ailments below all have the potential to kill if not treated adequately.
Infection
Not to be confused with "infectious diseases", in RimWorld an "infection" is a specific ailment which can occur in open wounds, frostbite, and burns which have either been left untreated or were treated in unsanitary environments. Progresses and kills rapidly if poorly treated.
General Symptoms:
- Mild pain
- Reduced Consciousness
Advanced Symptoms:
- Loss of Consciousness
- Excruciating Pain
- Breathing difficulties
Treatment:
- Medicine
- Amputating the affected part
Blood rot
A bacterial disease that has little effect on host at first, but kills quickly if left untreated. Reduces blood filtration.
General Symptoms:
- Reduced Blood Filtration
- Reduced Blood Pumping
- Occasional Vomiting
Advanced Symptoms:
- Greatly Reduced Blood Filtration
- Greatly Reduced Blood Pumping
- Frequent Vomiting
Treatment:
- Medicine
- Surgery; requiring 10 glitterworld medicine and a doctor of medical skill 5 or above
Flu
Trivial disease that can be caught anywhere. Generally not fatal to healthy colonists.
General Symptoms:
- Reduced Consciousness
- Impaired Manipulation
- Hindered Breathing
Advanced Symptoms:
- Vomiting
- Mild Pain
Treatment:
- Medicine
Malaria
Disease that can be especially caught in jungles. Reduces blood filtration.
General Symptoms:
- Reduced Blood Filtration
- Slightly reduced Consciousness
- Slightly hindered Manipulation
- Vomiting
Advanced Symptoms:
- Loss of Consciousness
- Moderate Pain
- Frequent Vomiting
Treatment:
- Medicine
Plague
Somewhat deadly disease that can be caught anywhere.
General Symptoms:
- Moderate Pain
- Somewhat Reduced Consciousness
- Somewhat Reduced Manipulation
Advanced Symptoms:
- Excruciating Pain
- Loss of Consciousness
- Difficulty in Breathing
Treatment:
- Medicine
Sleeping sickness
Slow-progressing disease exclusive to the jungles of the RimWorlds.
General Symptoms:
- Trivial Pain
- Moderately reduced Consciousness
- Slightly reduced Manipulation
- Occasional Vomiting
Advanced Symptoms:
- Loss of Consciousness
- Frequent Vomiting
- Moderate Pain
Treatment:
- Medicine
Scaria
Found in animals only, this disease presents with similar symptoms to luciferium withdrawal, driving the victim mad, and lethal in 5 days from contraction.
If a creature expires from this disease, their corpse has a high chance to be rotten and not able to be butchered.
General Symptoms:
- Manhunting in animals (mtB 1 day)
- Berserk in humanoids (mtB 1 day)
Treatment:
- Surgery; requiring 3 medicine and a doctor of medical skill 8 or above
Non-fatal
These diseases cannot kill the colonist but can hamper effectiveness.
Gut worms
Gut worms are a parasitic disease that infects the stomach, causing pain and nausea and doubling the host's hunger rate.Parasitic worms in the gut. They cause vomiting. They also consume the victim's food, which increases hunger.
— Description
Stages
General
- Hunger Rate Factor: +100%
- Pain: +20%
- Vomiting (MTB of 1 day)
- −5 Sick mood, stacking with any mood effect from the pain.
Progression
Gut Worms do not increase in severity over time, nor are they cured over time. Direct treatment is the primary way to cure it.
Treatment
Gut Worms will be cured when the treatments performed on it reach a cumulative tend quality of 300%, thus it is important to maximize the Medical Tend Quality of the Doctor performing the tending and the quality of the medicine used. It takes 48 ingame hours (2 days, or 120,000 ticks (33.33 mins)) between each treatment. For example, the disease can be treated with 3 treatments at 100% quality, or 5 at 60%, or 1 at 130% plus 2 at 85%.
Other treatments
- Administer healer mech serum - instantly treats the disease
- Install a bionic stomach (or other stomach replacements)
- Use the medic cycle of the Biosculpter pod
Muscle parasites
Muscle parasites are a parasitic disease hampering the muscles, decreasing their effectiveness. The disease does not kill the patient.
Effects
- Pain: +20%
- Sleep Fall Rate: +100%
- Manipulation: −30%
- Moving: −30%
Progression
Muscle parasites do not increase in severity over time, nor are they cured over time. Direct treatment is the primary way to cure it.
Treatment
Muscle parasites will be cured when the treatments performed on it reach a cumulative quality of 300%, thus it is important to maximize the Medical Tend Quality of the Doctor performing the tending and the quality of the medicine used. It takes 48 ingame hours (2 days, 120,000 ticks (33.33 mins)) between each treatment. For example, the disease can be treated with 3 treatments at 100% quality, or 5 at 60%, or 1 at 130% plus 2 at 85%.
Other Treatments
- Administer healer mech serum- instantly treats the disease
- Use the medic cycle of the Biosculpter pod
Trivia
In real life, humans can become infected by eating infected pork, or wild carnivores such as fox, cat, or bear.
Unlike in-game, muscle parasites can kill in real life.
Version history
Prior to Beta 19, muscle parasites always required 5 treatments regardless of quality.
- Deadly diseases
- Flu • Infection • Lung rot • Malaria • Plague • Sleeping sickness • Organ decay • Blood rot • Infant illness
- Non-fatal diseases
- Fibrous mechanites • Gut worms • Muscle parasites • Sensory mechanites • Paralytic abasia
- Animal diseases
- Scaria
Fibrous mechanites
Fibrous Mechanites is a mechanite disease that dramatically boosts a pawn's efficiency, but brings pain and tiredness. This disease does not kill the patient.
Overview
Fibrous Mechanites give massive boosts to various stats, but also give a large modifier to Sleep Fall Rate. The pain's Consciousness reduction will slightly reduce a pawn's actual effectiveness, and gives negative moodlets to most colonists. However, this "disease" remains a net positive, if you can handle the sleep.
Treatment does not cure the disease, it only prevents the pain from worsening. The mechanites will only be cured with time, and will remain for the same length regardless of what you do.
Note that the pain will incapacitate pawns with the Wimp trait. You can install the painstopper implant, inject them with Go-juice, or use the Painblock psycast to negate the pain, making them mobile.
Symptoms
| Stage | Severity | Symptoms |
|---|---|---|
| Mild | 0 - 0.49 |
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| Intense | 0.5 - 1 |
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Note: The second stage is only an increase in pain and sleep fall rate, there are no additional stat boosts over early stages
Progression
Severity increases when left untended, and slows or regresses once tended.
- Minor - Severity: 0 - 0.49
- Major - Severity: 0.5 - 1
Humans
- Severity increases by 0.25 per day when not tended
- Severity decreases by up to 100% per day when tended; actual rate depends on treatment quality
Treatment
The only cure for this disease is time; it will fade in 1-2 quadrums.
Treatment can be applied every 48 ingame hours (2 days, or 120,000 ticks (33.33 mins)). Treatment will slow progression or prevent pain from increasing, but will not reduce the duration or positive boosts.
Because of the long duration of this disease and the need for frequent treatment, this can place a long-term strain on medical supplies. Planting healroot or making other long term plans might be wise at the first sign of this disease.
Version history
- 0.13.1135 - Added.
- Deadly diseases
- Flu • Infection • Lung rot • Malaria • Plague • Sleeping sickness • Organ decay • Blood rot • Infant illness
- Non-fatal diseases
- Fibrous mechanites • Gut worms • Muscle parasites • Sensory mechanites • Paralytic abasia
- Animal diseases
- Scaria
Sensory mechanites
Sensory mechanites is a mechanite disease that boosts a pawn's efficiency, but brings pain and tiredness. This disease does not kill the patient.
Overview
Sensory Mechanites give massive boosts to certain stats, but also give a large increase to Sleep Fall Rate. The pain's Consciousness reduction will slightly reduce a pawn's actual effectiveness, and gives negative moodlets to most colonists. However, this "disease" is useful if these stats are important, like a Social pawn.
Treatment does not cure the disease, it only prevents the pain from worsening. The mechanites will only be cured with time, and will remain for the same length regardless of what you do.
Note that the pain will incapacitate pawns with the Wimp trait. You can install the painstopper implant, inject them with Go-juice, or use the Painblock psycast to negate the pain, making them mobile.
Stages
Mild pain (0 - 0.49 severity)
- Pain: +20%
- Sleep Fall Rate: +70%
- Sight: +50%
- Hearing: +50%
- Talking: +50%
- Manipulation: +30%
Serious pain (0.5 - 1 severity)
- Pain: +60%
- Sleep Fall Rate: +100%
- Sight: +50%
- Hearing: +50%
- Talking: +50%
- Manipulation: +30%
Note
The early symptom of "Serious" pain is a bit confusing. In the health tab, the pain is described as "Mild Pain" but shows -4% consciousness. While in the needs tab, the pain is described as "Serious," and has a mood debuff of -10. Pain is typically described as Minor, Serious, Intense, or Mind-shattering. Sensory mechanites cause a minimum of Serious pain, despite the innocent sounding label of "mild" in the health tab.
Progression
Severity increases when left untended, and slows or regresses once tended.
- Minor - Severity: 0 - 0.49
- Major - Severity: 0.5 - 1
Humans
- Severity increases by 0.25 per day when not tended
- Severity decreases by up to 100% per day when tended; actual rate depends on treatment quality
Treatment
The only cure for this disease is time; it will fade in 1-2 quadrums.
Treatment can be applied every 48 ingame hours (2 days, or 120,000 ticks (33.33 mins)). Treatment will slow progression or prevent pain from increasing, but will not reduce the duration or positive boosts.
Because of the long duration of this disease and the need for frequent treatment, this can place a long-term strain on medical supplies. Planting healroot or making other long term plans might be wise at the first sign of this disease.
Version history
- 0.13.1135 - Added.
- Deadly diseases
- Flu • Infection • Lung rot • Malaria • Plague • Sleeping sickness • Organ decay • Blood rot • Infant illness
- Non-fatal diseases
- Fibrous mechanites • Gut worms • Muscle parasites • Sensory mechanites • Paralytic abasia
- Animal diseases
- Scaria
Paralytic abasia
Disease frequency
Disease frequency by difficulty
| Difficulty | Disease interval multiplier |
|---|---|
| Peaceful | 3 |
| Community builder | 2.5 |
| Adventure story | 1.3 |
| Strive to survive | 1.0 |
| Blood and dust | 0.95 |
| Losing is fun | 0.9 |