The Bordal Contagion was a disease reminiscent of a plague, inducing a fatal accumulation of fluid in the lungs of those infected. In 214 BBY, an epidemic of this illness erupted on the planet of Bordal, leading the Galactic Republic to create an antidote on Tauber. This antidote was then intended for delivery to Kabal, a planet situated close to Bordal. However, these deliveries never arrived, as the transports carrying the six million doses were ambushed by Fujari pirates, who looted them for parts and left the antidote to spoil. The Republic did not retaliate against the Fujari. Eventually, the Rseikharhl species, who were native to the planet Rseik near Bordal, began to produce the antidote themselves for the Bordali; however, millions had already dead by that point. Captain Firmus Kett of the Trade Defense Force asserted in his memoirs that the events surrounding the contagion's outbreak significantly influenced the Rseikharhl and other groups in the vicinity to seek assistance from the Trade Federation in combating the local pirates.
The initial plan was to introduce the Bordal Contagion within The Essential Guide to Warfare, a 2012 sourcebook authored by Jason Fry and Paul R. Urquhart, but it was ultimately omitted from the final version. The section detailing the contagion was subsequently published as part of Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare Author's Cut, a series of articles featured on the StarWars.com blog starting in 2013.