Zombie Prevention

Viruses circulate throughout the year causing illnesses ranging from mild to more serious and even deadly. One of the most common – the flu virus – causes illness in tens of thousands of people each year.

The good news is it can be prevented or minimized by taking the proper precautions. Other viruses, such as the virus thought to turn people into zombies, have no known treatment or cure. Fortunately, popular lore provides us with some insight on how to stay protected in the event of a zombie apocalypse.

A zombie apocalypse, you say? What are the odds? Well, we live in a bettin' town and given the resurgence of interest in zombies, why hedge your bets when a few precautions could mean the difference between eating emergency supply rations or making an afternoon snack of your next door neighbor?

Prevention 

The flu is spread from person to person, much like the undead virus that turns people into zombies.

However, the flu is a respiratory infection and can be spread through a contagious person’s cough or by touching a contaminated surface and then your nose or mouth. Conversely, the zombie virus is spread through the bite of an infected person.

The best way to avoid the flu is by getting vaccinated. You can limit your exposure to the flu virus by washing your hands frequently and covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you sneeze or cough or by coughing into the crook of your arm. If using a tissue be sure to discard it and wash your hands afterwards.

To limit your exposure to the zombie virus, avoid the walking dead at all times, and if you do get bit…, just try not to get bit.

Visit the Flu Vaccine Clinics webpage to find out where you can get vaccinated. 

Symptoms 

While the flu can make you feel like one of the walking dead, your symptoms will pass with time. Signs and symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Sore Throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue

Signs and symptoms that you may become a zombie:

• An insatiable craving for human flesh
• Limited brain activity
• A lurching walk
• Loss of speech/ability to communicate

Viral Vengeance

Flu is unpredictable and its severity can vary widely from one season to the next. The flu is also real, and to the best of our knowledge, a zombie virus is not.

Certain people are more at-risk for complications from the flu including older people, young children, pregnant women and people with certain health conditions such asthma, diabetes or heart disease.

In the event of a real outbreak of a zombie virus those most at-risk would be slow runners.

References:
1. Z-Mission: Healthy people living in a zombie-free Southern Nevada. Southern Nevada Health Department
<http://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/z-prevention.php>