Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsUse medicine as soon as an infection appears. Honey removes 5 percentage points, Herbal Antibiotics remove 10, and Antibiotics remove 25. Infection is not cleared instantly: the medicine works over time, and taking more doses can extend the treatment timer. The effect has four percentage-based stages; reaching 100% (Stage 4) kills your character.
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How infection works in 7 Days to Die
Infection is a percentage-based debuff caused by zombie or animal attacks. The percentage rises while untreated and can move you through four stages. The exact values below are the figures listed by the official infection overview, but the indexed pages do not identify a definitive game version or platform. If your current build shows different tooltip text, follow the in-game value and current patch notes.
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Untreated infection rises by approximately 0.005% per second—about 0.3% per minute. Medicine reverses the direction at approximately 0.007% per second, or about 0.4% per minute, while its treatment effect is active. These are approximate rates, so use them to plan rather than to predict an exact second of recovery.
The four infection stages
| Stage | Infection percentage | Untreated effects | Effect while treated | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1: Mild Infection | 0.1–13.9% | No listed adverse effect. If untreated, it lasts about one real-time hour before progressing. | Honey, Herbal Antibiotics, or Antibiotics can treat it. | Use the weakest item that can finish the infection and avoid further hits. |
| Stage 2: Infection | 14–56.9% | 25% stamina-regeneration penalty. | About 12.5% stamina-regeneration penalty while medicine works. | Start treatment promptly; the stamina penalty makes repeated combat and escapes harder. |
| Stage 3: Severe Infection | 57–99.9% | 35% stamina-regeneration penalty and a one-point reduction to every Attribute. | The one-point Attribute penalty remains; the stamina penalty falls to about 17% in the overview. | Withdraw from combat, take enough medicine, and monitor the percentage until it falls. |
| Stage 4 | 100% | Instant death. The game displays, “You have died from an infection.” | There is no recovery after reaching 100%. | Do not wait for the next stage. Treat the debuff before it reaches this threshold. |
Stage 1: Mild Infection (0.1–13.9%)
Stage 1 is the warning stage. It has no listed gameplay penalty, which makes it easy to ignore, but the official overview says an untreated mild infection lasts roughly one real-time hour before progressing. Honey, Herbal Antibiotics, and Antibiotics all work here. Because the percentage is low, a weaker treatment is usually the sensible choice if it will complete the cure.
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Stage 2: Infection (14–56.9%)
At Stage 2, untreated infection reduces stamina regeneration by 25%. This does not remove a quarter of your maximum stamina; it slows how quickly stamina comes back. Sprinting, power attacks, jumping, blocking, and climbing therefore become more difficult to sustain, particularly during a horde night or while escaping a group.
When medicine is actively treating Stage 2, the listed stamina penalty is about 12.5% rather than 25%. Treatment improves the penalty, but it does not make the debuff disappear immediately. Continue avoiding unnecessary fights until the percentage has dropped.
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Severe Infection combines a 35% stamina-regeneration penalty with a one-point reduction to every Attribute. The Attribute loss affects all of your attribute scores at once, so combat, movement, crafting-related checks, and other attribute-dependent bonuses can all feel weaker. The treated form keeps the one-point Attribute penalty while reducing the stamina penalty to about 17%, according to the overview.
At this stage, the priority is survival rather than convenience: create distance, stop taking melee hits, use a sufficient medicine dose, and let the treatment run in a secure location. A single weak item may not be enough to bring a high Stage 3 percentage down before the infection continues to rise.
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Stage 4: 100%
Stage 4 is the terminal threshold. At 100%, the overview lists instant death and the message, “You have died from an infection.” There is no fourth-stage treatment window, so calculate your doses before the percentage reaches the high 90s and leave enough time for the medicine to work.
What each treatment removes
| Item | Infection reduction | Best use | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jar of Honey | 5 percentage points | Low Stage 1 or a small remaining amount. | Several doses may be needed at higher percentages. |
| Honey Tea | 5 percentage points | Low infection when this consumable is available. | It is not stronger than a Jar of Honey. |
| Honey Glazed Sham | 5 percentage points | Low infection when this food item is available. | It is not stronger than Herbal Antibiotics or Antibiotics. |
| Honey Brisket | 5 percentage points | Low infection when this food item is available. | Its reduction is the same 5-point amount. |
| Herbal Antibiotics | 10 percentage points | Moderate infection or when two 5-point items would be inconvenient. | It removes less than an Antibiotic dose. |
| Antibiotics | 25 percentage points | Stage 2 or Stage 3 infection, especially when the percentage is high. | Use is most efficient when a weaker item cannot finish the cure. |
The reduction is a percentage-point amount, not a percentage of the current value. For example, a 25-point Antibiotics dose applied to 70% leaves approximately 45% to be worked down, subject to the game’s treatment timing and any further infection gained from attacks.
How to cure an infection: step-by-step
- Check the current percentage. Open the status-effect display and note both the infection stage and its numeric value. The number determines whether one dose is enough or whether you need a larger treatment plan.
- Stop the source of new infection. Move away from zombies and hostile animals, close doors behind you, and avoid trading additional melee hits. Further attacks can worsen the infection while you are treating it.
- Choose the weakest sufficient item. Use a 5-point honey item for a small amount, Herbal Antibiotics for a moderate amount, and Antibiotics for a large amount. Preserve stronger Antibiotics when a weaker cure can finish the job.
- Take the medicine and remain safe. Treatment works over time rather than clearing the debuff in one instant. Stay in a defended room, vehicle-safe position, or other location where you can wait without taking more damage.
- Recheck the percentage. Watch the status effect as the treatment runs. If the percentage is still high or the infection continues after another hit, take an additional appropriate dose. Multiple cures can be taken in succession, but doing so can extend the cure timer.
- Continue monitoring until the effect is gone. Do not resume risky combat merely because the stamina penalty has improved. The Attribute penalty in Stage 3 remains while treated, and the infection still needs to reach zero.
How many doses do you need?
A practical estimate is to divide the current infection percentage by the item’s reduction and round up. Because the game applies treatment over time and new attacks can add infection, treat this as a minimum plan rather than a guarantee.
| Current infection | 5-point item | 10-point Herbal Antibiotics | 25-point Antibiotics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5% or less | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 10% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 25% | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| 50% | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| 75% | 15 | 8 | 3 |
| Near 100% | 20 | 10 | 4 |
The Antibiotics page specifically notes that an infection near 100% may require four doses. Four doses provide 100 percentage points of listed reduction, but the medicine still works over time, so do not wait until the last moment to take them.
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Choosing between a weak and strong cure
At a low percentage, a 5-point item is efficient if it can finish the infection. At a middle percentage, Herbal Antibiotics reduce the number of separate doses. At Stage 3 or near the death threshold, Antibiotics are the most practical option because each dose removes 25 points. The strongest item is not automatically the correct first choice: using Antibiotics on a tiny Stage 1 infection can waste a scarce resource that would be more valuable after a severe injury.
Where Antibiotics come from
Antibiotics are crafted at a Chemistry Station from an Old Sham Sandwich, Nitrate Powder, and Water. The recipe’s station requirement means you may not have access to the strongest treatment early in a playthrough. If a Chemistry Station is unavailable, use the honey-based 5-point items or Herbal Antibiotics you have on hand rather than waiting passively for a better recipe while the percentage rises.
The available treatment also depends on your current supplies and progression. Keep at least one suitable cure in storage before dangerous scavenging trips, and bring extra doses when entering areas where repeated hits are likely.
Preventing infection and avoiding a relapse
Break the chain of consecutive hits
The infection overview says infection is more likely after critical injuries, and critical injuries become more common when you take hits in a row. Avoid being surrounded, create an exit route before engaging, and disengage when stamina regeneration is already impaired. Blocking, stepping behind a doorway, moving over an obstacle, or simply running before the next hit can be safer than trying to finish one more enemy.
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Do not take fresh hits during treatment
Additional zombie or animal attacks can worsen an active infection. A medicine dose cannot compensate for repeatedly reapplying the problem. Treat in a secured location and return to combat only after the status effect has cleared or is safely under control.
Use Vitamins for prevention, not a cure
Vitamins prevent a new infection for the duration of their buff. They do not cure an infection already present and do not reduce its percentage. If the infection icon is already active, use one of the treatment items instead; Vitamins are for avoiding a new infection during their active duration.
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“I used medicine, but the percentage did not vanish.”
That is expected. Treatment lowers infection over time. Confirm that the treatment effect is active, stay out of combat, and allow the timer to run. Taking another dose may extend the cure timer rather than producing an instant reset.
“I took one Antibiotic and still have an infection.”
One dose removes 25 percentage points. A value above 25% therefore needs more treatment, and a new hit can increase the amount again. Check the current percentage before deciding whether another dose is required.
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“My stamina is still recovering slowly after treatment.”
In Stage 2, treated infection still carries about a 12.5% stamina-regeneration penalty. In treated Stage 3, the penalty is about 17%, and the one-point reduction to every Attribute remains. Improvement does not mean the debuff has cleared.
“Can Vitamins remove the infection?”
No. Vitamins prevent new infection during their buff but do not reduce an existing percentage. Use Honey, Herbal Antibiotics, or Antibiotics for an active infection.
“Can I wait until 100% and then cure it?”
No. The listed Stage 4 result is instant death at 100%. Begin treatment well before that threshold, especially if you are still exposed to enemies or lack enough medicine for the full percentage.
Version and platform qualification
The indexed official pages do not expose a definitive version or platform tag for these values. Percentages, durations, recipes, or status penalties can change with a game update. Before relying on a high-risk calculation, compare your current in-game tooltip with the figures here and check the patch notes for your edition.
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