The Sickness
From Lostpedia
The Sickness is an unknown illness that is believed to be on the Island.
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Danielle's account
Danielle Rousseau indicates that the members of her crew got sick after their first visit to the Black Rock in the Dark Territory, and claims that the Others were the carriers. However, she specifically says that she never saw any Others, or for that matter any people at all at that time. She did seem to consider the whispers in the jungle to be the Others. She also indicated that the sickness hit the expedition crew two months after arriving on the Island. Rousseau killed all her crew because they were 'sick,' and justifies her actions by saying, "What would have happened if we were rescued? I couldn't let that happen."
Danielle never describes the nature of the sickness and her advice to Sayid only indicates that he should watch the other survivors closely. This suggests that the symptoms of the sickness are not necessarily obvious, at least at first. It may also cause mental symptoms rather than physical ones. An official podcast said it made people "go crazy."
In "Dead Is Dead", Ben is ordered to kill both Rousseau and baby Alex by Charles Widmore. Instead, Ben kidnaps Alex and tells Rousseau she can never come looking for Alex, or else they will kill her. He also tells her to "run the other way" if she ever hears whispers. This in part sews up the discrepancies in Rousseau's account in "Solitary" where she claimed never to have seen the Others, only heard them.
This Place Is Death revelations
After the Island was moved, Jin met a young Danielle Rousseau and her science team. Together, they headed toward the radio tower, but were attacked by the Monster. In the process, Rousseau's companion Montand lost an arm. Jin then traveled in time to an unspecified later point. On the beach, he found the bodies of two of the science team, Lacombe and Brennan. He then saw Rousseau arguing with her love, Robert. She accused him of being sick and suggested that Robert had been changed by the Monster and was no longer himself. Robert pleaded for Danielle to calm down and trust him, and told her that he loved her. When she lowered her gun, however, Robert coldly tried to shoot her. Luckily the firing pin on Robert's gun had been previously removed by Danielle, so no shot was fired. Danielle responded by shooting Robert in the head.
Interpretation
Sickness characteristics
It was initially assumed that the sickness had both physical and mental symptoms. While no physical symptoms were apparent in "This Place is Death," it became clear that mental symptoms are key characteristics of the sickness. Rousseau suggested that the Monster "changed" her team. It is uncertain whether she believes that the Monster actually took control of her team, or whether it simply changed their personality and character in some way. It is further unclear whether the sickness is actually an illness, in the strictest sense involving a loss of free will, or whether it is simply Danielle's interpretation of why her team suddenly converted to an ideology that would dictate trying to kill her and her unborn child. The question of whether Robert and the team were in complete control of their actions when they were "sick" remains to be answered.
Carriers
In the episode "Solitary," Rousseau initially suggested that the Others were "the carriers" of the sickness; however, in "This Place is Death", it is implied that her team all became carriers, and that they contracted the sickness from the Monster. While it could be interpreted that Danielle believed her team contracted the sickness inside the Temple after Montand lost his arm, it should be noted that Rousseau had stated that they lived on the Island for two months before the sickness took hold. This suggests that the team was unscathed after their first encounter with the Monster, or at least that the sickness spread, unnoticed, among the group for a long time.
In "Dead Is Dead", Ben kidnaps Alex from Rousseau's tent. Danielle says to Ben, "You're the one who infected us, aren't you." This again addresses Rousseau's claims in "Solitary", where she argued that the Others were carriers of the sickness. It is still unclear what or who Danielle believes actually gave her team the sickness, though it is possible that she classifies the Others and the Monster as the same thing.
Other references to sickness on the Island
There are a number of references to sickness on the Island. However, some appear more concerned with a physical illness rather than the mental one that Rousseau's team appears to have contracted. That said, there are interesting comparisons between Rousseau's sickness and the DHARMA Quarantine plus 'cabin fever' sickness.
"Cabin Fever" sickness
On the "Kahana," a number of the crew began to experience what Captain Gault described as a heightened case of cabin fever. Many of his crew began to act strangely, such as Regina committing suicide by jumping overboard. The captain didn't interfere with this suicide, as he didn't want any more people to become afflicted. ("Ji Yeon") Other crew members acted irrationally, trying to flee the ship and head for shore. Captain Gault suggested that Keamy, who began to act increasingly aggressive and hostile, was also suffering the 'cabin fever' effects. ("Cabin Fever") It was hypothesized that these symptoms were due to the ship's proximity to the Island. It is unknown if this 'cabin fever' sickness holds any relation to the sickness seen among Rousseau's team, though the entirely mental symptoms and irrational behavior seem analogous.
DHARMA Quarantine
At the Swan Station of the DHARMA Initiative, the station exits were marked with the word "QUARANTINE" ("Exodus, Part 2"). The station's crew was provided with HAZMAT suits for use when they went outside the station. They were also provided with an injectible compound they were instructed to take every nine days. The orientation film from 1980 does not mention a quarantine, the sickness, or any special procedures. This indicates that the quarantine procedures were initiated after 1980. It's also unclear if the vaccine or QUARANTINE procedures could be connected to the Jughead explosion at the Swan. What little Desmond knew of the sickness he learned from Kelvin. Desmond learned that Kelvin had been lying about the outside of the station being contaminated, and that a HAZMAT suit was not necessary. Despite this, he continued to inject himself with the vaccine compound for several weeks until meeting the survivors of Flight 815. At this point, Desmond became skeptical of the drug, and suggested to Claire that it was useless.
At the Arrow Station of the DHARMA Initiative, the word "QUARANTINE" was also found crudely written on the inside of the door. However, the word has not been seen at any other DHARMA station, including the Staff, which seems odd considering that it was the medical station.
Claire and Aaron's sickness
When she was abducted by Ethan, Claire was given injections of CR 4-81516-23 42 into her uterus. Ethan claimed that the substance CR 4-81516-23 42 was a vaccine. However, we later learn that this vaccine was a serum developed by Juliet to prevent Claire from dying during her pregnancy. Claire would later develop a mysterious illness which Juliet attributed to withdrawal from the serum. However, it is revealed in flashback that Ben caused the illness in Claire purposefully through an implant he had ordered be put in her.
Claire also had a case full of DHARMA vaccine in her possession, given to her by Charlie for her and Aaron's safety. This was in response to hearing about the vaccine Desmond used while in the Swan. At this time, however, Claire could not remember being given a vaccine while held captive by the Others. ("Three Minutes") ("Left Behind")
Aaron also contracted an illness involving a high fever in episode "Maternity Leave". Claire worried that it was the same sickness that Rousseau's team contracted, though the symptoms seem completely different in nature. Aaron recovered within a couple of days, suggesting his symptoms were mild and unrelated to the sickness.
Henry Gale
When Ben Linus was disguised as Henry Gale, he explained that his wife got sick after one week on the Island ("One of Them"). Ben also describes the symptoms of her sickness as a fever, followed by delirium, then death.
Jigsaw puzzle
One of the Lost jigsaw puzzles contained a book code cipher on its back. Lostpedia translated the code using a copy of The Turn of the Screw, revealing, among other sentences, the statement "there is no sickness." However, according to Gregg Nations, Kelvin and Radzinsky wrote these messages, and it is their interpretation of the Island's mysteries.
Sicknesses in The Lost Experience
- The Global Welfare Consortium accuses the Hanso Foundation of spreading a transgenic/mutated strain of meningococcal disease from their primate research facility in Zanzibar to the local African human population.
- Dr. Eliza Vasquez has found something unusual in Alvar Hanso's blood work which could seriously impact his health.
- Apollo Candy contains something that aids in viral spread, and disguises this through its acidic ingredients. According to Dr. Hackett, this is related to drug reformulation trials of Project Sumo.
- Villagers of Filan (?) and Vetul-Milani (?) believe they have been infected by a virus transferred from macaques. The Hanso Foundation recruits in the Sri Lanka Video are told they will give them a vaccine.
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Medical incongruities
- Meningococcal meningitis is an infection of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, or meningococcus. Meningitis is the broader term for an infection of the CSF caused by any of a number of bacteria or viruses.
- True vaccines are technically primary prevention, not given after exposure to a pathogen. Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis is commonly given to humans after exposure (rabies vaccine is given prior).
Meningitis
Bacterial meningitis is caused by Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, or any of a number of other bacterial pathogens. Bacterial meningitis has similar symptoms of onset as Ben described. Viral meningitis, on the other hand, follows a less severe course.
Bacterial meningitis is treated by antibiotics such as penicillins, cephlasporins, and vancomycin in the United States. These medications are usually administered intravenously and cross the blood brain barrier into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Which drug is given depends on the type of bacteria, as well as the substrain of bacteria.
HOWEVER, certain forms of bacterial meningitis can be prevented by a vaccine, but cannot be treated by such a vaccine.
- Haemophilus influenzae meningitis can be prevented by receiving the Hib Vaccine, especially in early childhood.
- Neisseria meningitidis or meningococcus is a cause of life-threatening bacterial meningitis and is usually associated with communal living. There is also now a vaccine covering four strains of the meningococci, thus highly decreasing the spread of thatt form of bacterial meningitis. It is often recommended for students living in college dormitories. For the B strain, which is much harder to produce for use in vaccine, there are a few available being MeNZB in New Zealand and MenBVAC in Norway.
- In the US, this vaccine is marketed with the trade names: Menactra and Menommune, produced by the Sanofi Pasteur, Inc. in Swiftwater, PA (Physicians' Desk Reference, 2007). There is a common misconception with Menommune, which may explain the multiple doses. Menommune has been shown to only provide a passive protection in most cases against meningococci. Some immunologists and physicians believed multiple vaccinations to solve this problem, by amping up the amount of memory based T-cell antibodies to fight off the infection. However, multiple vaccinations has a somewhat opposite effect, causing a further dented but not completely gone passive protection. Menactra is made by the same company that produced menommune, and has been improved with greater coverage. Menactra can be given to pregnant women. Typically in the US, college students receive a vaccination for this type of bacteria, colloquially known as the "meningitis vaccine".
- Streptococcus pneumoniae also has a vaccine available, typically for those 65 and older in the US as well as brand new babies, but also is showing signs of preventing strep pneumoniae meningitis. It is called Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine or the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (Physicians' Desk Reference, 2007).
- More information on these vaccines for meningococal disease can be found at The Center for Disease Control.
Unanswered questions
| Unanswered questions |
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- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: The Sickness/Theories
- What was the nature of the Sickness?
- Is the Sickness related to the variable time differential surrounding the Island?
- Is the Sickness natural or artificial in origin?
- Are the fertility-problems of the women on the Island caused by the Sickness?
- Why haven't any of the survivors or the others been affected by the Sickness so far?
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