The show has got the speed of the disease correct. King Viserys has lived with leprosy for many decades and the disease has grown very slowly.
Previously, Paddy Considine, who played Viserys, spoke to EW on the nature of Viserys' condition, which he said is "...a form of leprosy." He continued, saying that his illness "... becomes a metaphor for being king, and the stress and strain that it puts on you."
Succumbing to His Leprosy
He was being treated with leeches and other ointments, but the lesions were causing pain over nearly his entire body by the end. The King's death at the end of Episode Eight was confirmed by director Geeta Patel, bringing the succession issue front and center.
“He's actually suffering from a form of leprosy. His body is deteriorating, his bones are deteriorating. He's not actually old. He's still a young man in there, he's just unfortunately got this thing that's kind of taken over his body.
Viserys' illness has been confirmed by Paddy Considine to be a fictionalized form of leprosy, slowly eating away at his body while he still lives. This illness works as symbolism for Viserys' lack of suitability as Westeros' king, but also for his crumbling family unit.
According to lore, greyscale is spread by direct touch or by coming into contact with objects affected by someone with the disease. Shireen picked up the disease from a contaminated doll, however Viserys has been in direct and indirect contact with many people who have not succumbed to infection.
The reason Viserys' wounds never healed is more symbolic than anything as routine as bacterial infection. The significance of being cut by the Iron Throne actually has deep roots in Targaryen history and Game of Thrones lore, dating all the way back to the throne's creation.
Prolonged, close contact with someone with untreated leprosy over many months is needed to catch the disease. You cannot get leprosy from a casual contact with a person who has Hansen's disease like: Shaking hands or hugging. Sitting next to each other on the bus.
EW got the answer. In the podcast West of Westeros, we learned that Viserys is suffering from leprosy.
In an interview on Entertainment Weekly's podcast "West of Westeros," Paddy Considine (who plays Viserys) gave insight into what illness is plagueing Viserys. "He's actually suffering from a form of leprosy," Considine said. "His body is deteriorating, his bones are deteriorating.
Viserys had a form of leprosy in House of the Dragon.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, actor Paddy Considine (who played Viserys), revealed his character had a form of leprosy. In the podcast he explains, “He is not actually old. He's still a young man in there.
The first reason King Viserys Targaryen kept cutting himself on the Iron Throne is because that's what the chair is designed to do. No, seriously, when Aegon the Conqueror first used Balerion to melt a bunch of swords into the world's deadliest armchair, he deliberately made the throne uncomfortable.
Viewers see the illness slowly take over Viserys's health as he loses strength and is unable to heal from minor cuts induced from the razor-sharp edges of the Iron Throne. Over time, various extremities are removed from Viserys, including fingers, an entire arm, and one of his eyeballs.
King Viserys Targaryen's (Paddy Considine) health rapidly declined with each episode. He looked old beyond his years while he was supposed to be in his late forties to early fifties. Paddy Considine confirmed that his character has leprosy.
In the trailer for episode 9, which confirms Viserys' death, Alicent says it out loud: "He told me he wished for Aegon to be king."
You are the one. You must do this. You must do this.” It's funny to think that a drugged king and a misunderstanding of Viserys' final words would become the catalyst that would lead to the civil war in House Targaryen and its ultimate destruction.
Actor Paddy Considine shared some details during an appearance on Entertainment Weekly's Game of Thrones podcast, West of Westeros. According to Considine, the King suffers from “a form of leprosy.”
3) Is greyscale like leprosy? Not really. Leprosy (or Hansen's disease) is caused by mycobacteria, but it isn't very contagious and isn't transmitted by skin-to-skin contact.
He never woke. He was fifty-two years old, and had reigned over most of Westeros for twenty-six years. The last people who Viserys spoke to, according to the history book, were his daughter Helaena and his grandchildren, and he died in his sleep rather than with one last vision of Aemma before breathing his last.
Hansen's disease (also known as leprosy) is an infection caused by slow-growing bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. It can affect the nerves, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose (nasal mucosa). With early diagnosis and treatment, the disease can be cured.
The disease is curable with multidrug therapy. Leprosy is likely transmitted via droplets, from the nose and mouth, during close and frequent contact with untreated cases. Untreated, leprosy can cause progressive and permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs, and eyes.
If left untreated, the signs of advanced leprosy can include: Paralysis and crippling of hands and feet. Shortening of toes and fingers due to reabsorption. Chronic non-healing ulcers on the bottoms of the feet.
“TARGARYENS ARE NOT IMMUNE TO FIRE!” the author emphatically stated. “The birth of Dany's dragons was unique, magical, wonderous, a miracle. She is called The Unburnt because she walked into the flames and lived. But her brother sure as hell wasn't immune to that molten gold.”
Putting Rhaenyra as his heir is his penance for what happened. After the graphic House of the Dragon episode 1 birth scene, Hess' comments prove that Viserys is desperate to make up for his hand in his wife's demise, which may be a small comfort to viewers.
As we know, Vhagar is the last surviving dragon of Aegon the Conqueror's Conquest of Westeros. She was ridden by Visenya Targaryen, and, after her first rider's death, she spent 29 years by herself, with no one mounting her.