UPDATE: Mysterious outbreak has killed at least 285+ players: BDC officials
The league wide outbreak could be the worst on record, Blitz Disease Control (BDC) said today while releasing a grim report that at least 63 players have died from a mysterious disease they are calling Nufflinza Z.
Officials conceded that they can’t predict when the epidemic will end.
Dr. Dionysis, acting Chief Medical Officer of the Blitz League, said 10 players have died from Nufflinza Z in the past 24 hours alone.
“I wish there was better news this week, but almost everything we’re looking at is bad,” Dr. Dio said at a news conference.
He said the Nufflinza Z remains widespread in nearly all corners of the league, except for Drumptopia and Arizona where the local climate may play a part in keeping players healthy. The NZ strain is unbiased in infecting players throughout the league, according to the BDC.
Dionysis said the league is now in the first stages of the NZ outbreak. While the past outbreaks have lasted a few days to three weeks, he could not say how many more weeks the current outbreak will last.
“It’s difficult to predict, and we don’t know,” Dr. Dio said.
Outpatient and emergency room visits remain high with NZ cases, and the rate of hospitalizations is at the highest since the BDC begain tracking the NZ last season, he said.
The BDC weekly report shows that 431 laboratory-confirmed cases have led to hospitalizations.
NZ infection rates are rising higher than those in any season prior, when the troll flu pandemic hit the league, according to the BDC. NZ cases are on track to surpass the prior records, where more than 600 players were hospitalized in the MML and 148 players died.
“We recognize that this issue is personal to so many teams and that there is a lot of fear and alarm,” Dionysis said. “NZ is incredibly difficult to predict, and we don’t know if we’ve hit a peak. We could see more weeks of increased NZ activity.”
With no predictable end in sight for the NZ season, the BDC advised teams that it’s not too late to get a NZ shot. The agency also recommended veteran players make sure their vaccinations are up to date.
UPDATE 5/22/2018
Over the last 48 hours the league has lost another 94 players, including two players from League teams. Doctors, staff and specialists are working hard to contain the outbreak.
UPDATE 5/24/2018
15 more dead today. NZ seems to be calming down, but officials warn that it may just be the calm before the storm.
UPDATE 5/28/2018
The NZ virus seems to be under control for the moment. Dr. Dro and Dr. Orcstien have isolated the virus under laboratory conditions and have been able to come up with an injected medication that slows the spread. While this isn’t a cure it has drastically brought down the death toll. Hospitalizations and outbreaks continue to happen at a steady pace however, and the death toll continues unabated in places that don’t have access to medical staff or have refused treatment.
UPDATE 5/30/2018
113 players died today, not including an entire team (Killadelphia Underground) along with their entire coaching staff.
