The CDC and Zombies

This podcast explains the history of Zombies and their connection to the CDC.

Transcript

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Welcome to Kitts Myths and Mysteries. Listen to in all 50 states and 39 countries stories from a world you thought you knew. Today, the podcast is on the CDC and zombies. Oh, come on, zombies, you say. Really? Yes, really. History shows that the word zombie came out of the Congo and means spirit of the dead person. Used in Louisiana Creole, the word describes a person that has died and was brought back to life without speech or free will. It seems as though zombies are becoming increasingly more popular in pop culture as time goes on. Countless movies, books, video games, and even TV shows based on zombies have dated back to 1932 when the first feature-length zombie film, White Zombies, came out. But have you ever wondered where the image and ideas of the reanimation of dead people came from? Rising from the grave, rotting, pasty green skin, an uncanny taste for human flesh and brains that can all be ended with a blow to the head? As far as how exactly the people came to be zombies varies, but the characteristics described earlier usually stay pretty consistent. Voodoo folklore contends that Bokors, voodoo priests that were concerned with the study and application of black magic, possess the ability to resurrect the deceased through the administration of compadre. Compalre is a powder that is used or issued orally, the primary ingredients of which is the deadly substance of a notoriously poisonous porcupine fish. According to legend, a zombie is someone who has annoyed his or her family and the community to the degree that they can no longer stand to live with this person. They respond by hiring a bocor to turn them into zombies. Once they had been issued the compadre, the subjects being prepared for their descent into zombian would appear to die insofar as their heart rate would slow to a near stop, their breathing patterns would be greatly subdued, their body temperature would significantly decrease, the public thinking that the person was dead. They would then be exhumed, still alive by the Bocor, and although their physicality remained intact, their memory would be erased and they would be transformed into mindless drones. Though still living, they remain under the Bocor's power until the Bocor dies. Well there's your story about zombies. Now let's flash forward to the present and the CDC Center for Disease Control's connection to zombies. May 2011, the CDC created a blog post with tips for dealing with zombies. By May 18th, the blog site had received 30,000 hits, and shortly after the site crashed, among other things like flood and earthquakes, the CDC gave instructions for dealing with zombies. The CDC's blog post included precautionary tips about zombies along with its usual tips for preparing for an emergency or preparing an emergency kit, as well as emergency escape routes in case of an earthquake or hurricane. For example, after explaining how the public should be prepared if zombies started appearing outside your doorstep, it continues. You can also implement this plan if there is a flood, an earthquake, or an emergency. Plan your evacuation route. When zombies are hungry, they won't stop until they get food, i.e. brains, which means you need to get out of town fast. Plan where you would go and multiple routes you would take to get wherever you wanted to go. Get there ahead of time so the flesh eaters don't have a chance. I can't help but laugh. But thank you for listening to Kit's Myths and Mysteries, stories from a world you thought you knew.