Rage Virus
Rage Virus - also known as The Infection, The Virus or simply Rage is a man-made, viral, biological pathogen that features in and is the primary antagonistic driving force of the 28 Days Later franchise. It features in the films; 28 Days Later (2002), 28 Weeks Later (2007), 28 Years Later (2025) and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026).
The virus originates in the fictional Cambridge Primate Research Centre based in Cambridge, United Kingdom (UK), where scientists were experimenting on a number of chimpanzees. The experiments were an attempt to isolate the specific neurochemical(s) that cause anger and aggression in humans, in order to develop a viral inhibitor. One could of course speculate that the opposite is more likely and the scientists were attempting to develop a virus or drug that would increase aggression in humans, for military or other purposes (in other words a biological weapon).
In any case, the chimpanzees being experimented on were in fact exceptionally aggressive and violent, in contrast with the stated aims of the research. This could have simply been one of many phases or trials, but one which had failed catastrophically.
The research was disrupted by a number of animal rights activists at this point (alerted by a conscientious but misguided member of the research team according to the comic: 28 Days Later: The Aftermath), leading to one of the chimpanzees being freed and that animal biting and infecting one of the activists. They, in turn, attacked the other activist and so on.
This event marks the start of the human epidemic and the rapid decline of civilisation in the majority of the UK. Once infected, a human becomes highly violent in less than a minute and subsequently attacks any other humans it comes into contact with, as well as bleeding from the eyes and mouth. As the virus was developed from the ebola virus, it is highly contagious in primates (other mammals and creatures are not vulnerable to infection). It is transmitted through bodily fluids such as saliva and blood.
The violent nature of the infected make this an effective transmission vector as victims are subjected to bites, blows and other close body contact that result in the fluids of the aggressor passing to the victim. Kissing and the exchange of fluids via various body orifices and the eyes also also leads to infection.
History
- 2002;
- Released 'in the wild' in Cambridge, UK - the exact date of the virus' creation is unknown
- Civilisation collapses in most of Great Britain
- The infection reaches France but is swiftly eliminated
- Mainland Britain is quarantined by NATO and the UN
- The infected continue to survive and adapt leading to distinct variations such as 'Fast Ones', 'Slow-Mos' and 'Alphas'
- 2030;
- Dr. Ian Kelson discovers that morphine (an analgesic), combined with xylazine (a common veterinary drug used for sedation, anaesthesia, muscle relaxation and analgesia1) can sedate the infected, leading to them being temporarily non-violent
- Dr. Ian Kelson also later discovers that anti-psychotics, in combination with morphine & xylazine can lead to the infected regaining some semblance of awareness, memory and language
References
With thanks to the authors of this article: https://28dayslater.fandom.com/wiki/Rage_Virus
Metadata
Created: 2026-02-26
Last Updated: 2026-02-28