The Media Wizard

I'm not one to complain about the event, but... well, my friend and I were in the Caliphate late at night. We had not been near any livestock or players for about four hours. Suddenly, we both got infected at the same exact moment. Someone said this was the "ash", but... well, is it possible it is just random? Or someone infected came over in /vanish? Any help or explanation would be very much appreciated.