Captain Trips

Captain Trips is the virus which incites all the action in almost every version and adaptation of The Stand. A sort of superflu engineered by the United States government as a form of biological warfare, it gets out due to the Flight of the Campions and wipes out most of humanity. Depending on the adaptation, "Captain Trips" may be a slang for it used only on the west coast, or it may never be said at all.

Pathology
In almost all versions and adaptations, Captain Trips is a virus that is engineered by the United States government as a form of biological warfare. It is, if not engineered at the Reservation, at least kept there. How it gets out of its holding is always unclear, but it wipes out the population of the Reservation within minutes. Only Charles Campion manages to escape the tower where it is held - the north tower, according to the Complete and Uncut Edition - and by escaping with his family, he spreads it to the rest of the United States.

The original version kept at the Reservation takes only a few seconds between exposure and death. By the time Campion is exposed, the virus seems to have mutated so it is, in fact, less deadly than the test tube version, and it takes days for him and his wife and daughter to die. Nonetheless, the speed with which it spreads makes it the most contagious flu in the history of the world.

Its existence is so top-secret, not only does the President of the United States deny its existence even as he is clearly dying from it, but not even the Reservation guard is informed anything has gone wrong when it escapes, or indeed, that there is anything to have gone wrong.

It is a respiratory virus. As viruses generally infect the body by injecting their DNA into healthy cells and allowing them to replicate, and given the rate of replication of the lung tissue of animals (such as humans), Captain Trips most likely breaks off into particles which can pass through the mucous membranes of animal cells and therefore be more virulent than other infections.

It is known to affect humans (Homo sapiens), horses (Equus ferus), cows (Bos taurus), guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), but it does not affect wolves (Canis lupus), of whom dogs are a subspecies, nor does it affect domestic cats (Felis catus), rats (Rattus rattus), weasels (Mustela erminea) or any bird.

Symptoms
As a respiratory illness, the version of Captain Trips which Charles Campion spreads presents first as a mild flu or cold. Early symptoms might include a slight cough or occasional sneeze, as well as a mild fever. Vomiting and phlegmy coughing - particularly in children - may also occur. These symptoms may last 24 to 48 hours before worsening.

In both the original novel and the Complete and Uncut Edition, 24 to 48 hours after exposure, the coughing becomes uncontrollable, and the lymph nodes fill with fluid to create a characteristic swollen black neck. In the 1994 miniseries, it more often causes emaciation and a redness around the eyes and other orifices. This may have been due to budget limitations on the makeup, or it may have been a nod to AIDS.

In later stages, neurological symptoms such as hallucinations or disorientation may present, although given how quickly the virus becomes fatal, it is unclear whether that is due to effects of the virus itself or the high fevers it often induces.

Contagion
Depending on the version or adaptation, between 97% and 99.7% of the population is susceptible to the virus. For those who are susceptible, it has a 100% fatality rate, generally within one to two weeks. Patients will occasionally seem to recover before relapsing a day or two later and then dying.

Although symptoms do not begin until approximately 15 minutes after exposure, infectiousness begins within roughly 30 seconds. It can be spread through contact with infected surfaces, as well as being airborne.

While it is not directly addressed in most adaptations, in both the original novel and the Complete and Uncut Edition, it is stated there is an international airline pilot who spreads it to other countries, and the United States military intentionally "bombs" countries such as the USSR and China with it after it has escaped. In all versions, the implication is it is not limited exclusively to the United States, but is spread globally.

Earlier Appearances
Stephen King first referenced a virus called "Captain Trips," which also wiped out most of humanity in a matter of a few weeks, in his 1969 short story "Night Surf." The Captain Trips of that story was not believed to have been engineered by the United States government, but may instead have originated in Southeast Asia. The story was originally published in the spring 1969 issue of Ubris Magazine, but a heavily revised version was published in the King anthology Night Shift, which came out in February 1978, months before the original novel hit the shelves.