Why the zombie apocalypse can happen

This is an open letter to zombie fanatics alike to discuss the inevitability of the zombie apocalypse

The Zombie Apocalypse

A Time For Action

Danielle Smith

Lately I’ve noticed that when I have discussions about the matter of the zombie apocalypse, my friends and colleagues laugh at the matter. They treat it as a joke or when they do agree with me they do so with sarcasm. This reaction from most people I discuss this with frightens me. My friends and colleagues should be taking this much more seriously. In fact everyone should be taking it much more seriously. We all are living day by day not acknowledging the fact that our inevitable doom is upon us. Today I am writing this open letter to open the eyes of the public about our upcoming downfall, the zombie apocalypse. Due to current viruses in circulation, undiscovered viruses, and the speed at which known viruses can travel, the zombie apocalypse is destined to occur.

Bath Salts and The rabies Virus

The zombie apocalypse is possible due to viruses that are in circulation today.  Most people in today's society think the idea of a zombie virus is absurd, that no disease could have such effects on a human being. However, we already have diseases and drugs that mimic the zombie virus, the general public just has not recognized them yet. Drugs like Bath salts, and Viruses like the rabies virus are important examples of how the zombie apocalypse could happen in today's society. In 2012, Bath salts were introduced to the United States illegally. Synthetic cathinones, more commonly known as "bath salts," are synthetic (human-made) drugs chemically related to cathinone, a stimulant found in the khat plant.Synthetic cathinones are included in a group of drugs that concern public health officials called "new psychoactive substances" (NPS). NPS are unregulated psychoactive (mind-altering) substances that have become newly available on the market and are intended to copy the effects of illegal drugs. Some of these substances may have been around for years but have reentered the market in altered chemical forms or due to renewed popularity .( "Synthetic Cathinones ("Bath Salts")." DrugFacts: Synthetic Cathinones ("Bath Salts") | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2016.) Some of the effects of bath salts include: Increased blood pressure, Chest pains, Increased heart rate, Agitation, Hallucinations, Increased body temperature or chills, Muscle tension, Nausea, Confusion,reduced need for food or sleep, Paranoia, Suicidal ideas, and Delusions. ("Drug Use | Signs and Symptoms of Bath Salts Abuse." RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.) Bath Salts is a perfect example of how the side effects can be mimicked in today's society. As you can see from the listed symptoms above, they are very similar to what social media portrays the zombie virus to exhibit.  Andy Campbell, a crime and weird news editor for the huffington post would also agree, since she wrote “The side effects of bath salts are zombie-like because when you have increased dopamine levels mixed with lack of sleep and all of the other crazy side effects, your central nervous system doesn’t work properly �" you don’t feel pain,” she told HuffPost Weird News via email. “[Bath salts users] aren’t really there, they are just a body walking around.” (Campbell, Andy. "Bath Salts Make You More Like A Zombie Than You Think (VIDEO)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.) Bath salts, is  making the user a temporary zombie until the drug wears off. This is showing that in some ways, the zombie apocalypse is already upon us due to its similar effects. The next virus currently out that shows the possibility of a zombie outbreak is the rabies virus. The rabies virus is mostly contracted by raved dogs and symptoms include: insomnia, anxiety, confusion, agitation, hallucinations, excess salivation, problems with swallowing and fear of water.(@healthline. "Rabies." Healthline. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.) This virus is spread through biting which is how it's similar to the zombie virus. As seen in most zombie movies today, the virus is spread from one infected person biting another. Then the bite person will slowly die from the bite and their internal organs will re-animate to a more primitive state, where the brain only focuses on obtaining what it needs to survive. Since the rabies virus also spreads through a bite, it is similar to the zombie virus. These two viruses have uncanny resemblance to the zombie virus which is why it's possible to occur.

New Viruses Reaching the Surface

The zombie apocalypse is possible due to the fact that new viruses are discovered frequently. Many people believe that no such virus could exist, there may be resembling viruses out today like mentioned in my previous paragraph, but none of them have turned into the full blown zombie apocalypse. That may be true however not all viruses have been discovered yet.  Each year scientists discover new viruses from unknown areas since it is difficult to track where viruses originate from. New viruses are often discovered since they can be contained in certain areas until being revealed. Places like deep parts of the ocean and glaciers hold undiscovered viruses. A big concern in new found viruses is the ancient live viruses that have been frozen in glaciers, however, due to global warming they are now able to see light in our current day. So the zombie virus might actually be out there frozen in a glacier or buried deep down in the ocean, global warming may make it reach the surface.

There is a concern that rising temperatures and melting ice--not to mention oil exploration in the Arctic--could see the reappearance of ancient deadly viruses.

"If we are not careful, and we industrialize these areas without putting safeguards in place, we run the risk of one day waking up viruses such as smallpox that we thought were eradicated," one of the lead researchers, Jean-Michel Claverie, told AFP.And it isn't just giant viruses found in the colder regions of the world. Small viruses were recently discovered in arctic lakes. It looks like all kinds of infection-causing viruses could defrost as the world warms."Melting Ice Could Wake Up Ancient Frozen Viruses." Popular Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

Scientists see these new viruses as a sign for concern, Many viruses that have not been alive for centuries are now re-entering society. If we aren't careful, then as global warming melts glaciers and changes our ocean levels, we may discover new viruses that may be deadly to us. It is of great concern because we have no way or researching a virus that is undiscovered so that means we have no cure ready. Scientists will have to learn about the disease after it has already entered society. While scientists study the virus we will all have to deal with the foreign virus with no cure. This is dangerous because if a deadly virus enters society and we have no cure, many people will catch and spread the virus.

The Old Giant

Most people have heard of the “old giant” virus that has been frozen for 30,000 years that may re-enter society shortly. For those reading who do not already know about the old giant, it is a virus that scientists find extremely interesting due to its size. Back 30,000 years ago, viruses were much larger than they are today. For example theseviruses were visible from a regular microscope. This specific virus is not deadly to humans or animals, so it is not of huge concern to the general public. Where the red flags go off for scientists is the other viruses that are also frozen with the same time period as the “old giant” that they do not know about.

Professor Claverie told BBC News that ancient strains of the smallpox virus, which was declared eradicated 30 years ago, could pose a risk.

"If it is true that these viruses survive in the same way those amoeba viruses survive, then smallpox is not eradicated from the planet - only the surface," he said.

"By going deeper we may reactivate the possibility that smallpox could become again a disease of humans in modern times."Morelle, Rebecca. "30,000-year-old Giant Virus 'comes Back to Life'" BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

These viruses are a major concern in today's society because as we explore and discover new parts of the earth we do not know what else we may discover. The more humans drill for oil, the more ice caps that melt, the more depths of the ocean we discover, the closer we are to unleashing a deadly virus on society that scientists know little about.  These undiscovered deadly viruses can be linked back to the possibility of a zombie apocalypse. The reason is because scientists do not know about all the viruses that are undiscovered or their effects, which means they do not have a cure ready. It takes time for scientists to study new diseases and create cures for them. So when an ancient virus does re-enter society, possibly a deadly one that we aren't prepared for, it will already have spread before scientists can contain it or create a cure. A reader of this may be thinking that since it's an ancient virus then it would be easier to make a cure because we would have information on it. That is true for some viruses but not all because scientists do not have information on all ancient viruses there are still many viruses they do not know about.

Travel Speed of Viruses

The zombie apocalypse is plausible because of  the speed at which known viruses can travel. Many people doubt the zombie apocalypse because they believe if it were to happen, they could just keep it in its origin and exterminate it before it spreads to other countries or continents, This is not necessarily true. The speed at which viruses can travel is extremely quick and will most likely not easy to contain. For example the zika virus has been able to spread extremely quickly in our current day. Centers for Disease Control (or better known as the CDC), Is in a full blown panic over the zika virus due to it rapidly spread to multiple countries in no time. “Zika’s rapid spread, to 21 countries and territories in the Americas since May 2015, is due to the prevalence of Aedes aegypti and a lack of immunity among the population, “Covucci, David states. "A Virus That Sure Sounds Like It Causes The Zombie Apocalypse Is Spreading Across The Americas."( BroBible RSS. N.p., 25 Jan. 2016. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.) This is showing that we already have zombie like viruses that are able to spread across our general public in no time.  If the zombie apocalypse spreads similar to any other virus, then it will be extremely difficult to contain. Since we have lack of immunity to this unknown virus, it would spread to everyone and we would have no cure ready. Another commonly known virus that is important to take into consideration is the Norovirus. This is normally known that the “stomach bug” which most of us have experienced in our lifetime. Though it is not deadly it is one of the fastest spreading viruses known to shown symptoms in just twelve hours. Below will be a link to a short video that talks about the spread of Norovirus  (only watch the first minute and three seconds)

This video may only be talking about a simple virus that can leave your system and overall has no deadly effects, however the important fact to note is its lightning fast ability to spread to another host. With this speed it is very possible to have a zombie outbreak like depicted in movies with the sense that a virus can spread in under a day.

Overall, the zombie apocalypse has some valid reasons to be considered a possibility.  Many people choose to ignore signs like already existing viruses that exhibit signs, the fact that deadly viruses are still alive and undiscovered, and the well known ability that viruses can spread quickly. With these factors it won't be much longer before we are living in our worst nightmares.