Editor's Note: Just when we came late to the story of the dangerous bath salts and man who was caught on video biting off someone's face, comes this latest development. There is a bit of Zombie-hysteria out there. And this CDC story confirms it is.
On the CDC Site, under a heading of "Emergency Preparedness and Response" is a subhead called "Social Media: Peparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse." There's a tongue-in-cheek novella shown there called "Zombie Pandemic" which "demonstrates the importance of being prepared in an entertaining way that people of all ages will enjoy." You can follow along with the adventures of "Todd, Julie, and their dog Max as a strange new disease begins spreading, turning ordinary people into zombies."
The CDC wasn't expecting any Zombie Pandemics to occur when they published the novella, but it's a really neat way to appeal to folks on the importance of being prepared in an emergency.
And that was that ... up until this past week when a series of particularly gruesome events made sensational headlines that seemed to indicate that we were in the midst of a Zombie Apocalypse and no amount of Twinkie weaponry would be sufficient.
Time.com creates a time-line starting with the May 26th episode in Miami during which a man attempted to chew off the face of a homeless man; he was shot dead after growling at police. Reports are that he was high on bath salts. Not exactly a Zombie-fying disease.
Every bit as weird is the report of a New Jersey man who stabbed himself repeatedly, then "threw bits of flesh" (and perhaps entrails) at police when they tried to subdue him. According to NBC New York, as of May 31, he was in critical condition at an area hospital and mental illness or drug abuse was suspected as the cause of the incident.
Another incident from Baltimore in the cannibalistic slaying of his roommate, and the accounts of a bear who ate a convicted murderer rounded up a series of potential evidence pointing to a Pandemic for sure.
We can all stand down from preparedness on that front, however. The CDC says there is no Apocalypse.
“CDC does not know of a virus or condition that would reanimate the dead (or one that would present zombie-like symptoms,” David Daigle, a spokesman for the CDC told The Huffington Post.
He dismissed the possibility of Dr. Steven C. Schlozman's fictional disease Ataxic Neurodegenerative Satiety Deficiency as the culprit.
Some folks just don't want to take the chance that the CDC might be wrong, so if you still have concerns, you might want to check out ehow.com's "How To Fight Zombies."
Clearly written by professionals and those "who would know." Always remember their warning:
Although zombie fighting is often fun, it can be dangerous. Observe all standard safety rules when using guns and swords. The undead are no excuse for personal irresponsibility!
Do you think the bath salts, which are available online and at stores, are something you should be discussing with your children? Tell us in comments.
