Theory on Knox Infection.

[Cleave]

There are two strains.

The first is airborne which accounts for the cases reported where people who weren't bitten became sick.

The second is transmissible through blood & saliva.

Your character is lucky or unluckily(depending on perspective) immune to the first strain but no one is immune to strain 2.

I've heard talk about "prions from Spiffo's meat" being the Knox Infection but I think that's likely from some clever world building where ordinary people are trying(and sometimes failing) to piece together the origins.

I'll admit I haven't looked into toooo much of the lore so I'd love to hear what everyone thinks about it from a lore perspective.

Edit: Bonus discussion. Am I the only one that finds it goofy that they renamed it to Knox Country from Knox County?

[turrón master]

well, nobody left alive is immune to strain 2, bear in mind that almost all of the population just got wiped out by airborne virus

could be a shingles chickenpox situation, you've been exposed to the same virus as everyone else but your immune system fought it off
i mean we don't know much about the player before the game starts, but the knox event is canonically 3 days before the start date (aka, how long it takes to die to the infection), could've been laid up in bed with flu, and be the only one who got any better, recovered, looks outside and finds zomboids in the street

no matter what the news says about when the airborne strain pops up, it seems clear that not everyone in the whole of knox country has been bitten in just a few days, especially the people all boarded up with food and weapons everywhere, and one of the radio transmissions from a survivor claims that the government is blatantly bullshitting about what's actually going on and that it's so much worse than they say

the first confirmed reports of deaths from an airborne strain are on day 6, about 3 days after the exclusion zone is increased, so my thinking is that someone being held at a quarantine camp started showing symptoms, and assuming there was a breach, the military pulled back, leaving some people to die, not realising some of their own are already infected, and once they start to die en masse, they can't deny the existence of an airborne virus anymore

also, the map is a lot bigger than the actual knox county, it's basically just pint-sized kentucky now, although i'm pretty sure it was a mistake that they just rolled with because everyone in the community immediately picked up on it

[Cleave]

Originally posted by turrón master:

well, nobody left alive is immune to strain 2, bear in mind that almost all of the population just got wiped out by airborne virus

could be a shingles chickenpox situation, you've been exposed to the same virus as everyone else but your immune system fought it off
i mean we don't know much about the player before the game starts, but the knox event is canonically 3 days before the start date (aka, how long it takes to die to the infection), could've been laid up in bed with flu, and be the only one who got any better, recovered, looks outside and finds zomboids in the street

no matter what the news says about when the airborne strain pops up, it seems clear that not everyone in the whole of knox country has been bitten in just a few days, especially the people all boarded up with food and weapons everywhere, and one of the radio transmissions from a survivor claims that the government is blatantly bullshitting about what's actually going on and that it's so much worse than they say

the first confirmed reports of deaths from an airborne strain are on day 6, about 3 days after the exclusion zone is increased, so my thinking is that someone being held at a quarantine camp started showing symptoms, and assuming there was a breach, the military pulled back, leaving some people to die, not realising some of their own are already infected, and once they start to die en masse, they can't deny the existence of an airborne virus anymore

also, the map is a lot bigger than the actual knox county, it's basically just pint-sized kentucky now, although i'm pretty sure it was a mistake that they just rolled with because everyone in the community immediately picked up on it

It's interesting to discuss this in more detail.

I'd say I think it's unlikely that anyone sick from strain 1(airborne) recovered as I'm pretty sure that is something they would put a hint at in the lore with the radiostations etc, and I'm not aware of anyone mentioning people getting over it? It's an interesting idea though so it's always possible they may add stuff similar to this in the future.

The part you mention about how the military likely reacted makes sense & is also interesting to think about. It would be cool if they added a "Military Deserter" potential story to the survivor houses/stories mechanic. Good military loot & maybe a note next to a guy that deserted and then suicided?

Seems like they did a partial retcon rather than a bigger lore rework to make up for the discrepancy, though I thought Knox County is BIGGER than just the areas in Zomboid rather than smaller? Like it encompasses multiple states? I think the area is technically part of Knox County so the retcon/typo seems a bit silly still. /shrug

[Puppers]

the spiffopox!

[Animalman]

Well

i am on the side of that the Airbourne Strain had not been proved by professionals.
Like.
They are just assuming its airborne.
AKA
they can't find a good lead on it.
Like.
We checked the water. No virus.
Must be airborne.

only the sinners caught the virus.
while those who lived without sin
did not catch the virus
if u want to call it a virus.

The Plague, began and spread far and wide. But not all spread occurred by attack. Some spread occurred naturally. The demons simply began to crawl out of the skin of the person and take stage here on the earth. In their new world. they are adjusting getting use to their motor functions in the host body. As well as learning. They can learn to open doors. and they are good predators.
Know how to catch u out.
Wait at the car.

Alls am saying really is a dev told me once they will never add a cure.

but if its a virus i know how to cure it.
IRL
thats the thing.

Theres also there is more

it is not a virus. when you are bitten it does not read infected

[Beltneck]

Knox Infection theory?

Knox Infection facts: https://pzwiki.net/wiki/Knox_Infection

Sounds like you read the wiki already, then just posed it as a question.

[Valen Logan]

I don't think they intend to give a definitive answer. There is a bunch of different possible reasons given but the majority of them conflict with each other or pan out to nothing.
Ultimately it does not matter. Knowing what exactly the "Knox Infection" is or where it came from doesn't change anything.
I do like that they left it open to multiple interpretations. It doesn't matter what apocalypse scenario are are running, there is at least some evidence to support your head cannon which is very much in spirit with the game's freeform playstyle.
Maybe in the next update they might put in some more environmental story telling. There is some of that in the game but I would like to see more and maybe they will add that stuff. They are still making additions to the map and giving a facelift to some places.

[Cleave]

Originally posted by Animalman:

Well

i am on the side of that the Airbourne Strain had not been proved by professionals.
Like.
They are just assuming its airborne.
AKA
they can't find a good lead on it.
Like.
We checked the water. No virus.
Must be airborne.

only the sinners caught the virus.
while those who lived without sin
did not catch the virus
if u want to call it a virus.

The Plague, began and spread far and wide. But not all spread occurred by attack. Some spread occurred naturally. The demons simply began to crawl out of the skin of the person and take stage here on the earth. In their new world. they are adjusting getting use to their motor functions in the host body. As well as learning. They can learn to open doors. and they are good predators.
Know how to catch u out.
Wait at the car.

Alls am saying really is a dev told me once they will never add a cure.

but if its a virus i know how to cure it.
IRL
thats the thing.

Theres also there is more

it is not a virus. when you are bitten it does not read infected

There's a few snippets of lore suggesting some people got the sickness despite not being bit.

That's the part that when I saw it I said to myself there has to be an airborne component to it... And then that begs the question of why the player didn't just turn from it, natural immunity to the airborne infection was all I could think of, the blood & saliva transmission implies a second strain then.

[Cleave]

Originally posted by Beltneck:

Knox Infection theory?

Knox Infection facts: https://pzwiki.net/wiki/Knox_Infection

Sounds like you read the wiki already, then just posed it as a question.

I think there's something in game that implied everything I presented. I've been playing since some of the earliest & jankiest builds so I forget where I first heard/saw it.

Didn't really see anyone else talking about it. I'll read the wiki in a bit though.