While most of your time in DayZ is spent surviving other players, with the occasional zombie thrown in for good measure, other hidden killers roam the world. The various illnesses, viruses, and diseases in DayZ can creep up on you, entering your system through a contaminated water bottle, and lead to severe, debilitating symptoms that, without the proper care, lead to an untimely death. Here are all the diseases and cures in DayZ to ensure you can make it to NWAF!
Medical Items That Cure Diseases in DayZ
Numerous medical items are scattered throughout DayZ, all treating different ailments.
- Bandages: Used to bandage wounds and prevent bleeding.
- Blood Test Kit: Used to determine your character’s blood type.
- Blood Collection Kit: Used to collect blood, which may then be used in the IV Starter Kit for a transfusion.
- IV Starter Kit: Used to inject liquids—medicine or blood—via IV using either a Blood Bag or Saline Bag.
- Saline Bag: Helps speed up blood recovery after taking multiple wounds.
- Multivitamin Pills: Boosts the character’s immune system to help prevent waterborne and airborne illness.
- Codeine Pills: Treats minor pain from physical injuries, like fall damage or cuts.
- Charcoal Tablets: Helps cure food poisoning and disinfect dirty water.
- Tetracycline Pills: Used to treat most diseases in the game.
- Epinephrine Auto-Injector: Helps reset shock level to prevent falling unconscious.
- Morphine Auto-Injector: Keeps the player on their feet when at low health.
- PO-X Antidote: A rare medical item used to treat toxic poisoning.
These are, of course, only the vanilla medical items. On modded DayZ servers, you’re bound to find more complex illnesses, injuries, and medical treatment options.
Related: DayZ Blood Chart: All Blood Types and Compatibilities
Of this comprehensive list of cures in DayZ, you’ll want to focus efforts on Bandages and Tetracycline Pills. The former will heal cuts and open wounds, while the latter will heal most invisible diseases and sicknesses.
All Diseases and Treatments in DayZ
| Disease | Cause | Symptoms | Cure |
| Wound Infection | Using a dirty bandage or rag or leaving a wound for too long without treatment. | Pain, Blurry Vision, Slow Stamina Regeneration | Tetracycline Pills, Disinfectant |
| Common Cold | Exposure to the cold, low immune system, or interacting with sick players. | Sneezing, Shivering | Vitamins, Tetracycline Pills |
| Salmonella | Eating raw meat or cooking, eating, or drinking with bloody hands. | Pain, vomiting, hunger, and thirst loss | Charcoal Tablets, Vitamins |
| Influenza | The second stage of the common cold. | Shivers, Coughing, Fever | Vitamins, Tetracycline Pills |
| Kuru | Consuming human meat. | Laughter, hands shaking while aiming | Death |
| Hemolytic Reaction | Receiving the wrong type of blood during a transfusion. | Health loss, vomiting, coughing blood, blackout | Waiting |
| Toxic Poisoning | Remaining inside a Toxic Zone for too long. | Health loss, vomiting, coughing blood, blackout | PO-X Antidote |
| Chemical Poisoning | Eating rotten or burnt food. | Frequent vomiting, slow stamina regeneration, food and water loss | Charcoal Tablets, Vitamins |
| Cholera | Drinking contaminated water. | Fever, Dehydration, Vomiting | Charcoal Tablets, Vitamins |
| Fracture | Falling, stepping on a land mine or bear trap, getting shot in the leg. | Blackout, reduced walking speed, health loss. | Splint |
How to Avoid Disease in DayZ
It’s possible to avoid most illnesses and diseases in DayZ by taking proper precautions and avoiding interacting with sick players.
- Common Cold: First and foremost, avoid other players who are sick. You can tell by the coughing and shivering. Furthermore, avoid cold conditions for too long, and try to get warm and dry after swimming or getting stuck in the rain.
- Salmonella: When you hunt and skin an animal, wash your hands. The same goes for bloody injuries. If you notice blood on your hands, wash them in a well.
- Cholera: Try to avoid drinking water from unknown sources, like rivers and lakes. Use a well or fill a container and drop in a charcoal tablet to decontaminate the water before consumption.
- Kuru: Try to avoid eating human meat. While it’s entertaining to hear your character laugh maniacally, there is no cure. Once you’ve contracted Kuru, the only remedy is a bullet.
While there is plenty that will kill you in Chernarus, illness, and disease can frequently be completely preventable with the proper steps and precautions.
If this DayZ guide from Prima Games helped, why not check out others on How to Repair the Crossbow in DayZ or How to Make a Splint in DayZ?!
