At a glance
The short version
- Game
- DayZ
- Guide type
- Medical Care
- Read time
- 3 min read
- Last updated
- Nov 7, 2026
Quick answer
The progression is driven by low Heat Comfort.
Quick answer
One progression chain: Common Cold is Stage 1, Influenza is Stage 2, and Pneumonia is the final dangerous stage — driven by low Heat Comfort.
Stage 1 shows Sneezing; Stage 2 adds Coughing and Fever; Stage 3 adds gasping, worse stamina drain and recovery, and continuous Health damage.
Staying warm stops the chain: a survivor who stays at neutral or white temperature or warmer can stop advancement and recover from the earlier stages.
Pneumonia is the critical boundary: warmth and Multivitamins alone are no longer enough — Tetracycline is required to push it back down to Influenza.
Codeine only suppresses symptom frequency, and duplicate Tetracycline doses taken together do not stack: wait for the roughly five-minute effect window to end before the next necessary dose.
Guide details
Stage table: Cold — Sneezing; Influenza — Sneezing plus Coughing plus Fever and blur; Pneumonia — all of those plus gasping and continuous Health loss
Temperature is part of treatment: a blue temperature icon is not just a comfort problem
Medication timing: one Tetracycline effect lasts about five minutes; Tetracycline and Multivitamins are different medicines and can work at the same time
Transmission control: distance, face protection, no shared partly consumed food or drink, and clean or treated water after recovery
Cold, Flu and Pneumonia are one progression chain
This is why “I am sneezing” and “I am dying from pneumonia” are not interchangeable diagnoses. The symptoms and urgency change as the stage changes.
Stage 1: Common Cold
The key symptom is Sneezing. The Cold can appear after prolonged low Heat Comfort, from nearby infected survivors, or from contaminated food/water/blood. If the survivor restores temperature to neutral/white or warmer and keeps it there, the infection can fade instead of progressing. Tetracycline and Multivitamins are also supported treatments, and a strong natural immune system can clear the illness.
Sneezing is not harmless in PvP. It can alert nearby survivors and even nearby infected, and respiratory illness can spread through close contact. Shared partly consumed food and water can also keep the infection circulating between teammates.
Stage 2: Influenza
Influenza adds Coughing and Fever to the Sneezing pattern. Fever increases Water drain and causes forehead-wiping/blur; a Medical Thermometer can confirm Fever. Staying at neutral/white Heat Comfort prevents progression and supports recovery. Tetracycline and Multivitamins can treat Influenza, and high natural immunity can also work before the disease reaches Pneumonia.
Stage 3: Pneumonia
Swipe horizontally to view all columns.
| Stage | Symptoms | What actually stops progression / treats it |
|---|---|---|
Common Cold | Sneezing | Stay neutral/warm; Tetracycline, Multivitamins or strong immunity can clear. |
Influenza | Sneezing + Coughing + Fever / blur | Stay warm; Tetracycline and/or Multivitamins; strong immunity can help. |
Pneumonia | Above symptoms + gasping + severe stamina penalty + Health loss | Tetracycline required to regress to Influenza; then finish earlier stages. |
Pneumonia is the critical boundary. In addition to Sneezing, Coughing and Fever, it increases stamina drain, slows stamina recovery, causes gasping and continuously damages Health. Warmth and Multivitamins alone are no longer enough to cure this final stage. Tetracycline is required to push Pneumonia back down to Influenza; after that, the earlier-stage treatment options matter again.
Temperature is part of treatment
A blue temperature icon is not just a comfort problem. The colder the survivor stays, the faster the hidden respiratory-disease timer can move toward infection/progression. A fireplace heat buff gives temporary protection after leaving the heat source. On Sakhal, route planning therefore becomes medical planning: know where the next shelter/fire is before the current Heat Buffer disappears.
Medication timing
One Tetracycline effect lasts about five minutes. Taking duplicate pills at the same moment does not stack them into a stronger effect; wait for the current medication window to end before using another necessary dose. Tetracycline and Multivitamins are different medicines and can work at the same time.
Codeine can reduce the frequency of sneezing/coughing symptoms, which helps stealth, but symptom suppression is not the same as curing the infection.
Prevent teammate reinfection
• Keep distance from sneezing/coughing teammates when practical.
• Use suitable masks/face protection when close contact cannot be avoided.
• Do not share partly consumed food or drink with an infected survivor.
• Replace or properly treat contaminated water after recovery so the survivor does not reinfect themself.
• Keep Heat Comfort neutral or better before assuming the infection is “just a minor cold.”
FAQ
Is sneezing the same as pneumonia?
No. Sneezing is the key symptom of Stage 1, Common Cold. Pneumonia is the final stage, reached only if low Heat Comfort keeps pushing the chain forward. The symptoms and urgency change as the stage changes.
Can staying warm actually treat the illness?
For the earlier stages, yes in the sense that matters: restoring temperature to neutral or white or warmer can stop the chain from advancing and help the infection fade. For Pneumonia, warmth alone is no longer enough — Tetracycline is required.
Why does Pneumonia require Tetracycline?
Because it is the critical boundary: in addition to Sneezing, Coughing and Fever, it increases stamina drain, slows stamina recovery, causes gasping and continuously damages Health. Warmth and Multivitamins alone cannot cure this final stage; Tetracycline pushes it back down to Influenza, after which the earlier-stage options matter again.
Does Codeine cure the infection?
No. Codeine can reduce the frequency of sneezing and coughing symptoms, which helps stealth, but symptom suppression is not the same as curing the infection.