New Plague

The New Plague is an infectious disease which first arose in the 2050s within the United States. Research into possible cures for the New Plague created the Forced Evolution Virus.

Background
In 2055, West Tek started to develop a cure for the plague, establishing the West Tek Research Facility. The government used the paranoia surrounding the virus to discourage assemblies, fuel anti-communist sentiment, and encourage informing government forces of suspected subversive elements. The government further used New Plague to register civilians, claiming a symptom of the plague was "socialist thoughts" and advocating isolation: people should stay indoors, read books, and avoid "ice cream socials." Citizens were told that if they believed they were infected, they were to contact a disease control center, such as the disaster relief outpost in Point Lookout. West-Tek was ultimately unable to develop a cure and control of the West Tek Research Facility was handed over to the military in 2071.

Characteristics
The New Plague was a highly virulent contagion that was easily spread from person to person. The usual methods of controlling the spread of the disease were isolation and containment. The worst symptoms included profuse sweating, unexplained contusions, and swelling, and eventually terminated in massive external hemorrhaging.

Van Buren
The New Plague was meant to play a much larger role in the story of Van Buren, the canceled second iteration of Fallout 3 by Black Isle Studios. In the game, it also went by the names of the Blue Flu, and Limit 115.

Van Buren background
Appearing in 2053, the illness killed approximately 200,000 citizens in the United States, largely in Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs. Due to the rapid spread and death toll throughout the country, a national quarantine was put in place in by the end of 2053, and several emergency programs were established to find a cure for the plague.

Despite West-Tek's efforts to research a cure, they were unable to find one that lasted, only developing temporary treatments for it. A second outbreak occurred in 2062, fueling national paranoia. Government suppression ensued, with some being imprisoned for carrying the virus. In February 2077, a third outbreak occurred, and FEV research was leaked to the world through an unknown source, which led to widespread protests in many major cities and governments around the world, as well as accusations that the U.S. was responsible for the New Plague in the first place.

After the War, NCR scientist Victor Presper, through extensive research, discovered the history of Limit 115 and its genocidal potency and also discovered a viable means to cleanse the world. Using ULYSSES, the quarantine prison, and a ballistic satellite known as B.O.M.B.-001, the way to human planetary domination and order became clear. He needed to get to B.O.M.B.-001 and use the nuclear weapons to clean the filth and wretch that currently occupied the surface.

Presper and his followers released the New Plague virus in the remote areas near Boulder and Denver. It was close enough to the quarantine prison to spur ULYSSES into action, but not near enough to huge populations to start a general panic. Presper’s men would then stage an attack on the prison which would allow everyone to escape. This event would start a countdown of sorts for missile launch on B.O.M.B.-001. ULYSSES would assess the viral spread, try to gather up the escaped prisoners, and once 90% of the prisoners had been retrieved, launch nuclear missiles to “clean & prevent” any further infection. By the time this happened, Presper had planned to be on, and in full control of, B.O.M.B.-001, and reprogramming targeting solutions to clean the areas he wanted.

Humans of Presper's choosing would wait out the second nuclear holocaust in the Boulder Dome, until the day came where he declared the Earth safe for pure-blood humans once more. The only thing that was a time-consuming factor for his plan was figuring out the launch codes on the satellite. However, he believed he was far more intelligent than whoever who originally programmed the launch computers on B.O.M.B.-001.

Van Buren characteristics
Research indicated that the virus could go dormant in human cells, reoccurring at a later date, those individuals having been carriers the entire time, and a temporary solution in the form of a nutrient paste was developed to keep victims alive and their symptoms at bay. Several other serums and antibiotics were developed but were likewise temporary due to the virus' ability to mutate.

The time of incubation of the virus varies, taking between three to five days. Initial symptoms greatly resemble the classic flu. It may also result in clogged respiration, leading to death through asphyxia (deriving the name Blue Flu). Should anyone survive the plague, they are rendered completely sterile by the virus. After the war, multiple mutated strains of the plague emerged.

Appearances
The New Plague is mentioned in Fallout, Fallout Tactics, the Fallout 3 add-on Point Lookout, and Fallout 76.

Behind the scenes
The disease was mentioned in the Fallout Bible.