DayZ disease guide and symptoms list

Everything you need to know about DayZ diseases, symptoms, and how to avoid them.

Want to know about the diseases in DayZ? If you’re caught off guard by an illness in DayZ, you’ll need to find a cure – or die a very miserable death. Understanding the causes, symptoms, and treatments for both common and rare diseases is crucial for your survival.

In DayZ, you’re not just looking out for the unliving – zombies are just the start of your problems in the zombie survival game. Infections, illnesses, and diseases are just as much of a threat, and even more difficult to get rid of than the shambling undead. So, what are the common DayZ diseases and how do you treat them? We’ve also included some of the rarer diseases and symptoms you might see in your server, as well as how to avoid them.

DayZ diseases and symptoms

Here is a list of the most common diseases and symptoms in DayZ:

How to prevent DayZ diseases

Now that we’ve covered the symptoms of all the diseases in DayZ, you may be wondering how to avoid catching one. That’s where our survival guide comes in. Check out our guides to the best weapons in DayZ, how to find hidden caches, and where to find the rarest zombie animals.

While you’re in the heat of the zombie apocalypse, it’s easy to forget about the sniffles or aching bones. However, if you leave your health unattended, you could be the easiest snack for a zombie – and you won’t even get to enjoy the taste. In DayZ, you can stay healthy and avoid illnesses by:

A DayZ cold could be the least of your concerns, but it can be deadly if left untreated. While you can’t remove the common cold virus, you can at least mitigate its effects with the right clothing and heat sources. Anything that increases your body temperature reduces the amount of time you spend with a cold, so insulated clothing is your best bet. You will also want to make use of any available campfires.

Taking vitamin supplements will also help reinforce your immune system and stop the common cold from spreading to your teammates. Just make sure you have the correct amount of vitamins for the number of people in your group.

The flu is a particularly nasty disease to catch, but it’s also incredibly difficult to spread. If everyone takes care to wash their hands after skinning animals, and wears surgical masks when handling raw meat, then you should be able to avoid the flu entirely.

Salmonella, or food poisoning, is another disease that you should be particularly wary of. Infecting yourself with salmonella requires you to eat uncooked meat, so make sure you wash your hands after skinning animals, and always wear gloves when handling raw meat. For an extra layer of protection, eat small amounts of raw meat only after you have consumed charcoal tablets.

Cholera is a particularly nasty illness that can kill you very quickly, but it’s also incredibly easy to avoid. Make sure you always drink clean water from wells, and if you need to purify your water, use chlorine tablets or boil the water instead of using chemical purifiers.

The only way you can contract chemical poisoning is by eating rotten or burned meat, or by drinking gasoline. We highly recommend sticking to boiled or baked meat instead, as it will prevent your stomach from absorbing harmful chemicals.

Kuru is an incredibly rare disease that may also be mistaken for the ‘the giggles.’ Unlike the latter, kuru is a degenerative brain disease that cannot be cured and is caused by consuming human meat. If you’re ever in any doubt as to whether a piece of meat is human, just don’t eat it.

Hemolytic reaction occurs when you eat uncooked pork, and can be easily avoided by sticking to baked pork. Hemolytic reaction does no permanent damage, but it does make you extremely thirsty, so make sure you always have enough clean water to hand.

Toxic poisoning occurs when you eat poisonous berries, but you can avoid this by checking every berry you pick for a tiny skull. If you manage to eat a poisonous berry, you can counter the effects by consuming charcoal tablets.

Hemolytic reaction is similar to toxic poisoning, but occurs when you eat cooked meat. Again, make sure you check every piece of cooked meat for a tiny skull, and avoid eating uncooked meat altogether.

Fractures are incredibly common in DayZ, and also incredibly dangerous. Your best bet is to keep your health high by eating cooked meat and drinking clean water, and keeping yourself warm with insulated clothing.