a song of ice and fire - What is the aetiology of Greyscale? (What is its cause?)

In a Song of Ice and Fire, what is the etiology of Greyscale?

The real-world diseases discussed in What's the real world equivalent to greyscale disease? all have very different degrees and mechanisms of contagion, so is there more than one way that one can contract/get greyscale?

Answer

The books seem to indicate that the primary vector for transmission is physical contact - and it seems that only a moment's touch is needed. Of course, that idea of sudden touch could just be the perception of the characters themselves - in much the same way that we once thought diseases were carried by "bad airs".

If this kind of contact is needed, then I suppose we are looking at something that is likely blood-borne.

I don't think there is any evidence of an airborne vector in the books. Out of those people who have had contact with sufferers of Greyscale, only those who actually made physical contact (even then, not all of those characters) have been seen to show symptoms afterwards.

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