Zombie Apocalypse -- Are you prepared?

[rthstewart]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided an important update yesterday regarding the need for every  household to be prepared for an emergency, whether it be earthquake, tornado, flood, or yes, zombie apocalypse.  You can learn all about important steps to keep you and your loved ones safe here.

My favorite passage:
If zombies did start roaming the streets, CDC would conduct an investigation much like any other disease outbreak. CDC would provide technical assistance to cities, states, or international partners dealing with a zombie infestation. This assistance might include consultation, lab testing and analysis, patient management and care, tracking of contacts, and infection control (including isolation and quarantine). It’s likely that an investigation of this scenario would seek to accomplish several goals: determine the cause of the illness, the source of the infection/virus/toxin, learn how it is transmitted and how readily it is spread, how to break the cycle of transmission and thus prevent further cases, and how patients can best be treated. Not only would scientists be working to identify the cause and cure of the zombie outbreak, but CDC and other federal agencies would send medical teams and first responders to help those in affected areas (I will be volunteering the young nameless disease detectives for the field work).

Comments

[mrstater.livejournal.com]

Isn't this brilliant? I love that they're taking advantage of the current zombie craze to get people educated about preparedness.

Of course I'm also paranoid and terrified about this, having just watched 28 Days Later the other night...

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

Just make sure you have one gallon of water per day per person. You'll be fine.

[linneasr.livejournal.com]

Well, well, then. All those chick peas in my basement from Y2K won't go to waste yet.

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

And make sure you have 1 gallon of water per person per day, important documents and don't forget food for your pets (if any!)

[intrikate88.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to see that the CDC is prepared for this menace. Granted, it'll probably be some virus they mutate that causes the zombie outbreak in the first place, and I'll be among the first to succumb since I live basically right next door to the CDC. But, you know, it's good for the rest of you all.

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

The NY Times article today is great,

Dr. Khan said he was “gratified by the response — it’s nice to see that people understand that public health includes preparedness.”

He would “leave it to law enforcement” to give Americans advice on arming themselves. After all, zombies need care too.

“I’m a public health doctor,” he said. “Even postmortem, I haven’t given up on you.”

[amine-eyes.livejournal.com]

Just read about this on ontd_science, and it is pretty awesome that they're using a creative way of educating people about being prepared :DD

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

From the New York Times,

He took the idea to the agency’s director of preparedness, Dr. Ali S. Khan, a specialist in infectious disease and a rear admiral in the Public Health Service.

“Most other directors would have thrown me out,” Mr. Daigle said. “He said, ‘Let’s form a Zombie Task Force.’ ”

Yes, the US government has a Zombie Task Force.

[ilysia-039.livejournal.com]

Wow. I mean. Wow.

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

I want to be on the Zombie Task Force

[katharhino.livejournal.com]

I've seen this linked everywhere. I have to say, props to them for having a sense of humor and using it to advantage!

[linneasr.livejournal.com]

Turns out "Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse" has crashed the CDC website!

I don't trust them!

[(Anonymous)]

The CDC that is. For a good paranoid view about a zombie apocalypse (and the role of the CDC therein) I recommend Feed (and the sequel Deadline) by Mira Grant.