Item from Plague Inc. by Ndemic Creations
The flesh-eater — a tissue-destroying symptom that spreads the pathogen through corpse contact, turning the dead into transmission vectors.
Necrosis is strategically unique because it bridges the gap between lethality and transmission. Most symptoms do one or the other — they either help the pathogen spread or help it kill. Necrosis does both: it destroys host tissue (high lethality) and spreads the pathogen through contact with corpses (increased infectivity in high-lethality scenarios). This corpse transmission mechanic creates a grim positive feedback loop. The more people die, the more corpses generate new infections, which creates more deaths, which creates more corpses. In late-game scenarios where hospitals are overwhelmed and bodies aren't being properly handled, Necrosis turns every death into a new transmission event. It's especially effective in countries with high population density and limited morgue capacity.
On the symptom tree, Necrosis occupies a branch connecting lethality to infectivity — a rare symptom that does both. Its icon suggests tissue destruction: blackened, decaying flesh. It's visually one of the most disturbing symptom nodes, appropriately.
Also known as: Tissue Death, The Flesh-Eater