The year was 2012. A health epidemic like nothing ever seen before swept across the earth, taking with it 1/3 of its human, and primate, population.

Today, twenty years later, we now know the cause of the epidemic, and understand most of it, but at the time it was terrifying. We now note the root cause was human overpopulation and their dependence on electronic devices. These combined to cause the upsurge in a bacteria which was nicknamed DEM.

The following is a basic understanding of the DEM bacteria and how it spread so quickly and caused such alarming death rates.

The first deaths were seen in January 2012 in the Southern Hemisphere, after people in Australia, New Zealand and South America all reported similar symptoms. Typically a person experienced muscle tightness, which eventually made breathing labored. Cause of death was usually the result of the heart muscle tightening. From the onset of the symptoms death usually occurred four to six days later.   Only 10% of people who showed symptoms made a recovery, usually on their own. 

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By March the disease was reported in equatorial regions, which resulted in a global freeze on all travel. The disease had spread to southern Asia, the southern USA, and most of Europe by June. In July cases were seen in the remaining parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Death in other primates also was observed along the same time lines.

The disease was called Paralysis Intoxicant Nervosis, or PIN, for short. It tended to hit men worse than women, it also hit obese people worse than thinner ones. Soon it was noted that it did not strike vegetarians and vegans at all. Eventually it was determined that men and obese people were more at risk because they typically ate more meat.

The sources of PIN were hard to detect, as it appeared to come through every meat source, from beef, to pork, to chicken. It was suggested, although never proven, that people who balanced their meat with more starches such as rice or potatoes, were less likely to contract the disease, and were more likely to survive if infected.

PIN was soon traced to a natural occurring bacteria that normally lived in the soil, but for some reason was showing up in meat. Although the pathology still is not fully understood, it appears the bacteria needs an animal to act as an intermediary host.