Zombies

The possibility of a zombie apocalypse or outbreak has been especially popular recently, in both popular culture and more serious fields. This is because while the actual threat posed by zombies in film and television is not real, in many important ways a potential zombie outbreak mimics the kind of pandemics and disasters that public health officials seek to prevent and plan for. In fact, zombies serve as a such a good proxy for other public health threats that the CDC has issued instructions for "zombie preparedness" and numerous scientific studies have looked at the logistics of a zombie outbreak (CDC, 2012). Thus, imagining a possible zombie outbreak allows one to consider many of the same factors present in practically any pandemic, as well as some of the specific cultural and social influences that one must take into account when dealing with a widespread disaster.

A number of possible...
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