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In preparation for a TL I am considering developing, I thought I should post a WI and see where other members take it. Feel free to post information about plausibility or propose ideas. To note, I haven't come up with a name for the disease yet, so please suggest one if you want to.

In 1945, there were over 40 million displaced persons in Germany alone, and I'd assume that there are equal or higher numbers in other countries across Europe and Asia. Large populations of refugees and displaced persons have always been an excellent breeding ground for diseases, and that is exactly what I propose happens.

Late in the spring of 1945, doctors in the Allied occupation zones of Germany begin noticing an influx of patients exhibiting similar symptoms. Mortality rates begin to spike among German refugees in West Germany, soon spreading into the Soviet occupation zones.

Victims of this new disease first suffer from fatigue, nausea, and fever, which progresses quickly to vomiting and ataxia. The infected eventually die from encephalitis, pulmonary edema, and/or liver failure.

So what happens next? Does the disease sound too deadly? This would obviously affect the post-WWII world, but what political and social changes would it cause?
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