When I mention the word ‘zombie’, you probably think about how that kind of thing would never happen. But what would you say if I told you that it wasn’t all horror fiction? Yes, there is no ‘zombie virus’ that is able to kill you and reanimate your corpse, but there are certain diseases that cause zombie-like effects. I’m also not taking into account the chance of evolution of those diseases. Put them in the human body, and you have a purely instinctual monster. Just because it sounds crazy, doesn’t mean it always is.

There are multiple diseases that can cause an animal or even humans to act like an undead creature bent on destroying the world. First, there is a fungus called “Cordyceps unilateralis” (BBC, 2013) that mainly infects ants. Once in the body, the fungus controls the ant’s brain and creates a stem on top of its head. It then finds a good place to die and quickly spreads spores through the air and onto unsuspecting insects; I should also note that these things have been known to wipe out entire colonies. But there is also a disease that is found in both animals and humans: prions. Prions are a part of the a rare encephalopathy group that causes neurological degeneration (CDC, 2012); in latent terms, it creates holes in the brain, making the person behave irrationally and have the potential to attack other people. These are, for the most part, genetic. However, there have been cases of prions being present in cannibalistic tribes after eating the brain of someone in New Guinea and Madagascar.

“So what?” I hear you yak, still in disbelief. “I’m not an ant, or a cannibal. What do these have to do with me?” Well, you are forgetting that diseases can adapt to make themselves transmittable to a higher part of the food chain, and even make themselves more fatal. In Jared Diamond’s book, “Guns, Germs, and Steel”, he explains how the disease typhus evolved from going from rat fleas, to rats, to humans. Eventually, typhus evolved, or adapted if you will, to cut out the middle transmitters and go directly from human lice to humans. Also, the Center of Disease Control has concluded that roughly 60% of all of the diseases discovered were once only discovered in animals; from cows, we have measles, tuberculosis, and smallpox; the flu from chickens and pigs; and AIDS from monkeys. So, diseases mutating to attack the top of the food chain is nothing new.

Now, what would it look like if one of these diseases did evolve to attack us on a higher scale? For “Cordyceps unilateralis”, I revert you to the video game The Last of Us; a strange reference, I know. However, the producers of the game have said through many interviews that the idea of the creatures in the game came from the thought of this same disease being able to attack humans. They are controlled by a fungus, and are now able to physically harm humans directly. Now for the prions, I refer you to basically any modern-day zombie movie. These sprinting, screaming, blood thirsty creatures attack anything that moves; pure adrenaline, always ready to kill. Who’s to say this disease won’t change to be more violent? So, we know that some diseases can become the ‘zombie virus’; the only question is: how long before it happens?

“Wait, the zombie apocalypse can happen?!” Now hold on, before you start to stock up on machetes and shotguns, I should tell you that the government has everything under control. Almost every country, including the United States, has specific protocol in response to “potentially apocalyptic scenarios”. Examples being: strategies for biological threats, counter terrorism, and even pandemics. In them, they extensively explain the order of operations needed to do one main thing: “sustain the infrastructure of the economy and the functioning of society”. If the country is attacked by a pandemic and infects 2 million people, less than 1% of the United States population, the government will take immediate control and attempt to eradicate the disease as quickly as possible. So until then, relax, and know that everything is okay… for now.

 

Sources Cited:

“Cordyceps.” BBC News. BBC, 2013. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.

“NINDS Encephalopathy Information Page.” Encephalopathy Information Page: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). National Institute for Nuerological Disorders and Stroke, 09 Nov. 2010. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.

“Prions.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.