I love the mechanics for diseases in Augmentation – it's an imaginative abstraction that nicely represents the ongoing battle between the body and the infection. however, there seems to have been just a little glossing over the catching and passing on of diseases.

Catching

So a character is exposed to a pathogen. Are they automatically infected? RAW seems to thinks so, enforcing the minimum number of body tests even if the power is reduced to 0 on the first test. The only way a character can escape without any suffering is to reduce the power to 0 every time, which is very difficult without medication of some sort but if they do use medication then there's no sense of them having escaped initial infection.

The main problem I have with automatic infection is that there are armour-adaptations and augmentations that provide a DP bonus against getting infected (as opposed to those that make the user perfectly safe). Suppose the character is wearing the protective clothing at the time but then takes it off after leaving the exposure zone. Does he get the DP bonus to his first roll once the speed has elapsed? Does he get the DP bonus to all his resistance tests?

Would it work better if reducing the power to 0 on the first disease resistance test equated to not being infected at all?

Passing on

So you're hanging out with a guy who's just taken a big whiff of Ebola+, which is catchable via inhalation and is described as one of the bigger pandemic risks. Do you catch it automatically? Should it be an Edge test? Should the GM, in advance, compose his own list of contagion requirements, like "breathing the same air for less than five minutes is ok"?

How would you/do you handle it?

I would rule that they have to make a resistance test upon exposure. If they reduce the power to zero they are not infected and no further test apply.

As for transmission, it would depend on how contagious the original host is, which depends on a number of factors. For example, for a virus it depends on their viral load and when the are actively shedding virus, which varies for different viruses. Some are most contagious before the infected person shows any signs or symptoms. But as a general rule, maybe you could have the exposed person resist the current power that the infected individual must resist.

If your GM is trying to kill your group off with EBOLA, then I think the real question you need to be asking yourself is, what did I do to PISS OFF the GM, and how do I make him happy again!?

Yeah, I'd rule that reducing the power of the disease to 0 on that first roll would prevent the PC from catching the disease.

As for transmission, I'd probably come up with a list of contagion requirements, then have the PCs who made those requirements roll an Edge+Body test--factoring in such things as weak immune systems, etc.

Example:

Influenza
Vector: Inhalation Speed: 12 hours (14) Penetration: 0 Power: 2
Nature: Viral Effect: Stun Damage, Disorientation
The flu causes fatigue, muscular aches, stomach distress, and a runny nose.

Contagion Requirements:
- In close quarters (same room) as a carrier for more than 10 minutes.
or
- Sharing a glass/fork/etc with a carrier

And here's something I just thought of:

Disease Resistance Modifiers
- If a PC notices the carrier has the disease and makes a point of covering their own nose-mouth around the carrier +1 die
- The PC makes a point of washing their hands/etc very soon after leaving the carrier's company +1 die
- If the PC is very close to the carrier (sitting next to him) -1 die
- If the PC has not had a full night's rest recently -1 die

etc.