Mari they/she/xe

Hepatitis: Boy band of 5 guys for the 5 types of viral hepatitis A, B, C, D & E. I think Hep A might be the blond with his tongue out, since A can be passed by contaminated food. The idol boy on the lower right is probably Hep C as he has a syringe tattoo and pierced ears. The boy at 12 o’clock also has a pin of three syringes and headphones, maybe he’s Hep B (which can cause hearing loss? Also, one idol has a red spider angioma tattoo. All of them have slightly jaundiced eyes, pointing to the liver damage of chronic hepatitis.

Syphilis: A little easier to decode - it’s a sexually transmitted disease (hot girl, apple symptom of temptation) and causes chancre sores and a red spotty rash.

Chicken pox & Shingles: Fun fact - chicken pox and shingles are caused by the same virus, the varicella zoster virus! Most anyone older than about 30 probably knows about the chicken pox rash. It’s spotty, itchy and forms blisters which open up like the eyelets on the little girls’ mesh gloves. But, after the infection, the virus can live dormant in your nerve cells only to reactivate as shingles, an intensely painful red rash that causes large areas of red discoloration, like around the boy’s eyes, and I think the snake on his sweater might represent the dormant virus. If you had chicken pox as a kid getting the shingles vaccine when you turn 50 can prevent shingles!

Plague, AKA The Black Death: This one is basically a bunch of European symbols that don’t have a whole lot to do with plague, aside from the gangrenous fingers, which are a late stage symptom. Can’t tell from the drawing, but plague is spread by fleas.

Influenza: The flu really is a fuckboi! Influenza travels the world, alternating between the global south and the global north, picking up lots of mutations as it goes. The hand tattoos represent the three main types: A, B and C. We normally vaccinate against two strains of influenza A and one or two strains of influenza B, and the vaccine has to be updated every year because they’re so promiscuous. (Also, if you look at him up close, he looks so fucking tired behind those eyes, and fatigue is a major symptom.)

Measles: Another spotty rash. However, this one can cause blindness and deafness in children, both represented in the designs on his shirt and jacket. Vaccine preventable!

Lyme disease: The bullseye visual image was noted above, so I’ll just also mention that her mech is a tick and the doohickies in her ponytails look like the twists of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. And our girl here is wearing sturdy boots and white stockings, both that can help protect you from ticks, or help you notice them quickly.

COVID-19: Sits on a throne that looks like the COVID-19 virus, but the spike proteins end in hands that are using phones and handheld computers, representing how we all got through lockdown. (Note this was an October 2020 cover.) I’m not sure if the crown covering the nose is supposed to represent the loss of smell?

Tsutsugamushi disease: I actually didn’t know what this is, the internet tells me it’s a form of typhus, but not a rickettsia. Huh. 🤷‍♂️

Chikungunya: This is a mosquito borne disease that is notable for causing joint pain, which can become chronic. Here it’s reprinted by skeletal spines and arms, places where joints can develop long term bursitis or arthritis; the idol’s high heels are made of bones as well. It can also cause a patchy rash, as represented on the her dress.

MERS: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome was the second major coronavirus disease (between SARS COV-1 and COVID-19/SARS COV-2. First discovered in Saudi Arabia and mostly occurring on the Arabian Peninsula, it is represented here by a veiled lady, which a crown representing the “corona” of a coronavirus. While SARS COV-1 died out, cases of MERS continue to occasionally occur, the virus doesn’t spread very easily person-to-person, but it does have an animal reservoir in camels.

Pertussis: The body horror headpiece here is supposed to represent the alveoli of the lungs, inflamed and clogged with fluid. The flute is because of the high pitched wheeze of a child with pertussis struggling to breath. Pertussis kills babies! If you’re around babies or young children, please get vaccinated for their sake! (And for yours, the severe coughing can cause vomiting and broken ribs even in adults.)

Dengue: OK, so the visual similarity to Aedes albopictus has been noted above. But what’s with the datura here? She’s holding a datura and has another tattooed on her arm. I can’t figure out the connection, what am I missing? Something about atropine maybe?

Japanese Encephalitis: Don’t actually know what this is about, other than the balls they’re holding clearly represent the tight ball shape of the JEV. Not sure why this is a three girl group. But Japanese encephalitis does some nasty things to your brain for sure.

Zika: Again it’s just the mosquito here. I’m actually glad they didn’t get any deeper into a representation of Zika’s worst effects on the body because I feel like it would be pretty insensitive. There’s still a sizable cohort of Brazilian children with profound disabilities from Zika.

Legionnaire’s disease: Our dandy here must have been attending some kind of conference; Legionaries disease was discovered after a large outbreak at an American Legion convention in 1976. You can see some kind of sink contraption behind him - this is because Legionnaires is usually spread by inhaling aerosolized droplets of contaminated water.

Viral Gastroenteritis: I got nothing. All I can make of this guy is that maybe he got his abs by shitting his guts out and now he needs a boba drink to hydrate. IDK man…

Rubella: Another gentleman covered in red spots. Electron microscopy of the rubella virus does look like the little clustered seeds of the pomegranate he’s holding. The cherub on his pendant and in the background probably represent miscarried babies as rubella is quite dangerous during pregnancy.