On 12/2/22 02:00, Jeffrey Schwartz - schwartz.jeffrey at gmail.com (via
tml list) wrote:
> <snip my blather>
> "Nanovirals" would be short for nano-based anti-virals. Basically
> something that cruises along in the body looking for unexpected
> viruses. T5 mentions that injected nano that does gene changes is the
> most common +1 to stat in character generation, so this technology
> being available has some support in canon.
>
> Latency on an infection - the stuff's still in the body, with a very
> slow replication rate at first so it's unnoticeable. Such a thing
> would still be susceptible to being stopped by nanovirals, and giving
> the medicine a week or more to work should do the trick
>
> Hipop worlds would be expected to have metabolic scanners in the
> starports, so someone coming off the ship with an infection should
> raise all manner of alarms.  Even low pop worlds with a decent (C or
> better) port should have such defenses
>
> I'd also expect Type-S's to have metabolic scanners in the airlocks,
> and certainly in the medical area

jeff, thanks for replying.

 From your description, "nanovirals" are outright some type of blue goo,
assuming "nano" means "some type of nanomachine, whether wet
(biologically-based) or dry (not)". "Blue goo", at least according to
Shadowrun 4th, 20th anniversary edition, is pretty much what you've
described - some form of nanites roaming the user's body and combating
incoming metabolic hazards (disease and toxins being the favourite
categories).

That would make the type of bug I'm talking about have a much harder
time to lurk undetected - as you said, a long latency period means more
chances for the blue goo/nanovirals to rumble and/or clobber the lurking
bug and/or politely ask it to depart.

Unless/until such nanovirals are themselves subverted.

I can only plead ignorance of T5.  I honestly didn't realise (under my
assumption above) Traveller went even that far into nanotech.

Alex