CDC Advises on Zombie Apocalypse … and Other Emergencies
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, known best for stamping out health threats like Ebola and E. coli, is now advising people how to prepare for a zombie invasion.
A blog post by Assistant Surgeon General Ali Khan instructs readers to stock up on food and water, not to mention first aid supplies (“Although you’re a goner if a zombie bites you, you can use these supplies to treat basic cuts and lacerations that you might get during a tornado or hurricane,” the agency says).
And figure out “where you would go and who you would call if zombies started appearing outside your door step,” the CDC’s post says.
Okay, the agency really is just looking for a clever way to get people to heed its advice on how to prepare for emergencies such as hurricanes — which on its own, let’s face it, is rather dry. The tactic seems to be working: the site announcing the new zombie preparedness plan crashed today and even a cached version is down.
Or as one Facebook fan put it, “There are so many people on the site now it’s crashed! The zombie attack has begun!”
Were zombies to attack, the CDC says for its part it would be prepared: “If zombies did start roaming the streets, CDC would conduct an investigation much like any other disease outbreak,” the agency reports. “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).”
Zombie preparedness is the brainchild, so to speak, of communications staff who noticed that traffic took off when zombies were mentioned during one of its Twitter sessions on Japan and radiation, says Dave Daigle, a CDC spokesperson who led the new campaign.
The CDC in fact does have a history with zombies — at least on TV. Its fictional headquarters were blown to smithereens in an episode of AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” after a group of survivors tried to take refuge.
Many people we informally polled are giving the zombie campaign a thumbs-up. “Way to stay topical, CDC! This would have been pirates back in the ’00s,” writes one.
“I am glad they chose zombies as a theme and not vampires,” says another, who is clearly not on Team Edward.
But some found the CDC’s advice lacking. “Their suggestion for a zombie apocalypse preparedness kit is sorely lacking: Where’s the sawed-off shotgun?” asks Gawker.
Image: Everett Collection
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