Survival in a T2K World

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Cdnwolf

That is the one factor under featured in the game. The rise of diseases from the past. I see chickenpox and even measles becoming a serious epidemic in a small town, never mind the regulars like dysentery and cholera. Black plague anyone???

Luckily most infectious diseases don't just appear out of nowhere. They have to have reservoirs among the population or in the wild. With the demise of easily accessible, fast, large-scale mass transport over long distances, the spread of infectious diseases from their reservoirs will be greatly reduced. Take the great influenza pandemic that occurred after WWI, that was spread all across the globe by all the soldiers returning from Europe to their native lands, and all the post-war movement of displaced peoples.

If you live in a country where a disease like measles has been largely eradicated, it will be a long time before you see it return. Unfortunately the Operation Omega repatriation of tens of thousands of soldiers from Europe to the US is likely to bring a bunch of nasty diseases into the CONUS at the disembarkation points.

Of course, diseases that are the direct result of poor hygiene and/or contamination of drinking water will make a much faster and widespread return. Their mitigation will require serious efforts and education regarding personal hygiene and the safe storage and preparation of potable water and foodstuffs.