Preparing for a zombie apocalypse? The CDC weighs in

[Fansome]

latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-cdc-zombie-apocalypse-20110519,0,6704265.story
latimes.com
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Preparing for a zombie apocalypse? The CDC weighs in

By Amina Khan, Los Angeles Times / for the Booster Shots blog

11:37 AM PDT, May 19, 2011

Preparing for disasters has always been part of the mission of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from hurricanes to flu pandemics.

It was only a matter of time, then, before they decided to weigh in on another calamity of great concern to the public: the zombie apocalypse.

"That’s right, I said z-o-m-b-i-e a-p-o-c-a-l-y-p-s-e. You may laugh now, but when it happens you’ll be happy you read this," Dr. Ali S. Khan, an assistant surgeon general with the CDC and head of its office of Public Health Preparedness, wrote on the CDC's Public Health Matters blog.

Khan himself is a big fan of Resident Evil, but from shows like AMC's "Walking Dead" to spoofs like "Shaun of the Dead," zombies have been lurching into the spotlight in recent years. Could writing about zombies get people more involved in emergency preparedness? 

As it turns out, it might, because the steps you'd take in the event of a total zombie takeover are remarkably akin to those you'd need to do to prepare for an epidemic or an earthquake.

For example, family members should set up an emergency plan, picking two meeting spots (one close to home and one farther away). They should make an emergency kit, including water, important documents, medication, clothing and first aid supplies — because, Khan writes, "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."

And if you're less of a zombie flick aficionado and more into radiation scares, chemical catastophes or high-octane explosions, the CDC has emergency information of all genres to suit your tastes.

Follow me on Twitter @LAT_aminakhan.

[paranoid dxer]

                i got the special BBQ Sauce   AL you bring the Grill  Pigmeat you bring the Beer  
  b-b-q z-o-m-b-i-e  a-p-o-c-a-l-y-p-s-e

[Zoidberg]

Darned zombies seem to be sucking up all the propagation this week.  I can hardly hear Open Forum with the Herald of the Campocalypse tonight.  I'm missing my final instructions... 

[gristle]

I will be a chugging down some La Fin Du Monde beer and having a BBQ. Ready for the rapture or zombies... Good thing the CDC is on the case though.

[Zoidberg]

Speaking of zombies and BBQ, I want some of that Donner Pass style BBQ advertised on last night's TCS show.

Y'know, one of the bits of conventional wisdom for dealing with zombies is never set them on fire.  Because then you have zombies and fire walking around.  But I like the convenience of BBQ that comes to me so I don't have to get up from the table or miss any TV.  I'm thinking, you just spike one of their feet, build a fire next to 'em and let 'em self-rotisserie.

[Fansome]

I'm a little hazy on the relationship between zombies and mummies, but it has been reported that Napoleon's army used mummies instead of firewood in their campfires when they were campaigning in Egypt.