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DayZ Illness & Treatment

Use symptoms and what just happened to narrow down the likely vanilla illness, then see the treatment, prevention and urgency in one clear card.

Reviewed for DayZ 1.29.163451Reviewed 2026-08-07

Vanilla first. Vanilla DayZ gameplay guidance only. The sickness icon does not name the illness, so use the symptoms and recent actions together. Mods and custom server medical systems can behave differently.

Check symptoms

11 reviewed conditions
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Important: DayZ's sickness icon does not tell you the diagnosis. Match the symptoms with the recent cause. Vomiting can be cholera, salmonellosis, food poisoning or gas poisoning; simply eating or drinking too much can also make a healthy survivor vomit.

Illnesses & treatment

11 shown
Illustration for Gas poisoning (PO-X) Gas poisoning (PO-X)Coughing; VomitingContaminated zones
EmergencyConsole + PC vanillaChernarus · Livonia · Sakhal

Symptoms to look for

  1. Coughing
  2. Vomiting
  3. Bleeding
  4. Unconsciousness
  5. Health damage

Likely cause

  1. Entering a contaminated area without complete NBC protection and a working gas-mask filter
  2. Exposure to PO-X gas from a vial or grenade

What to take / do

  1. Leave the gas immediately
  2. Use a PO-X Antidote
  3. If an antidote is unavailable, clean blood from an unaffected survivor can be used through IV blood bags

Prevent it next time

  1. Use a full NBC suit, gas mask and working filter before entering contaminated areas
  2. Avoid PO-X clouds and damaged PO-X vials

Good to know: Treat this as an emergency. Do not re-enter until the protective equipment is complete and the filter works.

Illustration for Hemolytic reaction Hemolytic reactionBlood loss; UnconsciousnessWounds and injury
EmergencyConsole + PC vanillaChernarus · Livonia · Sakhal

Symptoms to look for

  1. Blood loss
  2. Unconsciousness

Likely cause

  1. A blood transfusion from an incompatible blood type

What to take / do

  1. Stop the cause and stabilise the survivor
  2. There is no direct medicine; it clears over time only if the survivor survives the blood loss

Prevent it next time

  1. Confirm compatible blood types before a transfusion

Good to know: This is an injury response, not an illness to treat with tablets.

Illustration for Pneumonia PneumoniaCoughing and sneezing; FeverCold and respiratory
EmergencyConsole + PC vanillaChernarus · Livonia · Sakhal

Symptoms to look for

  1. Coughing and sneezing
  2. Fever
  3. Gasping for air
  4. Very high stamina drain / slow recovery
  5. Ongoing health loss

Likely cause

  1. Untreated influenza while cold

What to take / do

  1. Take Tetracycline Pills immediately to push it back down to influenza
  2. Stay warm and continue treating the remaining flu/cold stage
  3. Stop risky travel and stabilise food, water, blood and health

Prevent it next time

  1. Do not leave flu untreated
  2. Stay warm while sick

Good to know: This is a serious stage. Multivitamins, warmth and natural immunity alone do not cure pneumonia.

Illustration for Wound infection Wound infectionStage 1: pain sounds, light blurred vision and fatigue; Stage 2: heavier pain, frequent blur, fever, hand shaking and health lossWounds and injury
EmergencyConsole + PC vanillaChernarus · Livonia · Sakhal

Symptoms to look for

  1. Stage 1: pain sounds, light blurred vision and fatigue
  2. Stage 2: heavier pain, frequent blur, fever, hand shaking and health loss

Likely cause

  1. Using a non-disinfected bandage, rags, bandana or sewing kit
  2. Letting a bleed stop by itself

What to take / do

  1. Stage 1: disinfect the wound with Disinfectant Spray, Iodine Tincture or Alcoholic Tincture; Tetracycline can also help
  2. Stage 2: take Tetracycline Pills; disinfecting alone only slows progression
  3. Keep water and health stable while treating

Prevent it next time

  1. Check that the wound item says Disinfected before using it
  2. Treat bleeding instead of waiting for it to stop by itself
  3. Re-check a previously disinfected item after it becomes damaged

Good to know: Do not wait for stage 2. Unlike many illnesses, natural immunity does not cure wound infection.

Illustration for Cholera CholeraVomiting after eating or drinking too much; Fever / wiping foreheadWater and food
UrgentConsole + PC vanillaChernarus · Livonia · Sakhal

Symptoms to look for

  1. Vomiting after eating or drinking too much
  2. Fever / wiping forehead
  3. Blurred vision
  4. Rapid dehydration

Likely cause

  1. Drinking from unsafe water
  2. Drinking from an unpurified found bottle or canteen
  3. Drinking or eating from a sick survivor's partly-consumed item
  4. Drinking with bloody hands

What to take / do

  1. Take Tetracycline Pills or Multivitamin Pills; do not stack the same medicine before its effect has ended
  2. Take only tiny sips and bites, then wait, to avoid vomiting
  3. Keep raising food, water, blood and health

Prevent it next time

  1. Use pumps or springs where available
  2. Purify non-pump water with Chlorine Tablets or by boiling
  3. Wash bloody hands or wear gloves before drinking
  4. Do not share partly-consumed food or water with sick survivors

Good to know: The sickness icon can disappear before the infection is completely cleared; continue the treatment cycle if symptoms return.

Illustration for Heavy metal poisoning Heavy metal poisoningDehydration; ShiveringSakhal survival
UrgentConsole + PC vanillaSakhal

Symptoms to look for

  1. Dehydration
  2. Shivering
  3. Temporary hearing loss
  4. Blurred vision
  5. Pain sounds
  6. Health damage

Likely cause

  1. Consuming contaminated snow or non-chelated water on Sakhal

What to take / do

  1. Use Chelating Tablets
  2. Stop consuming the contaminated source and replace water safely
  3. Treat it before advanced symptoms; time can help only before the severe stage

Prevent it next time

  1. Use safe springs where possible
  2. Treat water with Chelating Tablets or use a Filtering Bottle before drinking
  3. Do not rely on snow as safe drinking water

Good to know: This is Sakhal-specific vanilla survival guidance. It is distinct from cholera.

Illustration for Influenza (flu) Influenza (flu)Sneezing; CoughingCold and respiratory
UrgentConsole + PC vanillaChernarus · Livonia · Sakhal

Symptoms to look for

  1. Sneezing
  2. Coughing
  3. Fever / wiping forehead
  4. Occasional blurred vision
  5. Faster water drain

Likely cause

  1. An untreated common cold while cold

What to take / do

  1. Get warm and stay warm
  2. Take Tetracycline Pills or Multivitamin Pills; take the next dose only after the current pill effect finishes if symptoms remain
  3. Keep food, water, blood and health high

Prevent it next time

  1. Treat a cold early
  2. Stay dry and keep heat comfort neutral or warmer

Good to know: Coughing can alert other survivors and infected. Codeine or morphine can suppress symptoms temporarily, but they do not cure the flu.

Illustration for Salmonellosis SalmonellosisVomiting after eating or drinking too much; Pain soundsWater and food
UrgentConsole + PC vanillaChernarus · Livonia · Sakhal

Symptoms to look for

  1. Vomiting after eating or drinking too much
  2. Pain sounds
  3. Blurred vision
  4. Health loss as it worsens

Likely cause

  1. Raw or rotten meat, fat or guts
  2. Cooked wolf or bear steak
  3. Eating or drinking with bloody hands
  4. Food, water or blood from a sick survivor

What to take / do

  1. Use Charcoal Tablets or Multivitamin Pills
  2. Take small bites and sips only, with pauses between them
  3. Raise food, water, blood and health

Prevent it next time

  1. Cook meat and fat before eating
  2. Wash bloody hands or wear gloves after skinning
  3. Do not share food, drink or blood with sick survivors

Good to know: It can look like cholera. Recent raw meat or bloody hands point more strongly toward salmonellosis.

Illustration for Common cold Common coldSneezingCold and respiratory
StandardConsole + PC vanillaChernarus · Livonia · Sakhal

Symptoms to look for

  1. Sneezing

Likely cause

  1. Prolonged cold or wet exposure
  2. Being close to an infected survivor
  3. Sharing partly-consumed food, water or blood with an infected survivor

What to take / do

  1. Get heat comfort to neutral (white) or warmer and keep it there
  2. Use Multivitamin Pills or Tetracycline Pills
  3. Keep food, water, blood and health high so the immune system can recover

Prevent it next time

  1. Stay dry and warm
  2. Avoid sharing partly consumed food and drink with sick survivors
  3. Keep distance from sick players where possible

Good to know: If it develops into coughing and fever, treat it as influenza rather than waiting.

Illustration for Food poisoning Food poisoningVomiting; FatigueWater and food
StandardConsole + PC vanillaChernarus · Livonia · Sakhal

Symptoms to look for

  1. Vomiting
  2. Fatigue
  3. Slow stamina recovery
  4. Energy and water loss

Likely cause

  1. Gasoline
  2. Burned or rotten food
  3. Raw fish
  4. Unknown food cans
  5. Eating or drinking with bloody hands without gloves

What to take / do

  1. Take Charcoal Tablets or let it clear naturally
  2. Replace water and energy carefully with small sips and bites
  3. Do not try to induce vomiting; that does not reduce the poisoning

Prevent it next time

  1. Do not eat rotten or burned food, raw fish, or unknown food cans
  2. Never drink gasoline
  3. Wash hands or wear gloves before eating and drinking

Good to know: Vomiting can also be caused by simply overeating; check what happened immediately beforehand.

Illustration for Brain prion disease (Kuru) Brain prion disease (Kuru)Uncontrollable laughter; Tremors / hand shakingPermanent conditions
PermanentConsole + PC vanillaChernarus · Livonia · Sakhal

Symptoms to look for

  1. Uncontrollable laughter
  2. Tremors / hand shaking

Likely cause

  1. Eating human steak, guts or fat

What to take / do

  1. There is no vanilla cure; the condition remains until the survivor respawns

Prevent it next time

  1. Do not eat human remains

Good to know: Medication will not remove Kuru.

This is in-game vanilla DayZ guidance for the displayed release, not real-world medical advice. Community servers can change medical behaviour with mods or custom configuration.