I attended the Zombie Initiative's panel at CONvergence and I was discussing it with a friend, and he brought up the issue of diseases that come with festering corpses, such as cholera and typhoid. What is the Initiative's plan regarding these rather imposing diseases and what steps should be taken to ensure a plague is prevented?
Though we have not yet written an article on the topic, this is not so much a question about disease as it is about sanitation among othre things (hmm, a topic which I haven't done anything with yet....grumbles at topic choices.)
The diseases you mentioned (typhoid fever and cholera) are all diseases that are transported most commonly by infected human waste. If the governments are still functioning, water treatment facilities will still be functioning. Assuming a dystopia, the simple solution to this is using proper hygeine when disposing of waste (i.e., dig a good outhouse and keep it away from the water source) and making sure the water you obtain is clean and free both of the dead and poop. In most cases the former is a rare problem, being that most of the dead bodies will be moving around anyway. In cities, this is going to be an interesting challenge since obtaining water (contaminated water being the most likely way of catching these diseases) will be difficult unless a system is rigged up within the cities waterways. Digging a well in the city is unlikely because of all the concrete and contaminated water supply from industry and other pollution, the best option for obtaining water in the city is either to leave the city, or to rig up a system to catch condensation and use a gravity fed system to feed the water to the outlets.
If cholera is caught, keep the person hydrated with clean water and nourishment. The biggest threat from cholera is dehydration, so keeping the person hydrated and giving them enough calories to sustain themselves will allow them to get better in time. If Typhoid fever, the solution may be far more complicated, requiring antibiotics, generally, though the rule of rehydration and rest is a good one still.
Ultimately, the problem of zombies infecting the water supply is minimal, though definetely something that should be considered when searching for a location. These diseases are spread through ingestion of infected water or food. Do the best you can to keep things sanitized -- as the CDC says, "boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it." Be aware of your surroundings always -- make sure that you know where your water is coming from and what is leaching into it at any given time (in my opinion, disease being the least of your concerns.)
For more info on these diseases, check out the CDC's pages on Cholera and Typhoid Fever.
This is the kind of thing where being informed is absolutely necessary. If you get out with a cell whose members including yourself don't know about scurvy, you could be losing teeth left and right or worse, thinking it has something to do with the zombism and blowing off people's heads when all they need is a lemon to suck on.
All I can say is that we should all be well-informed on survival techniques and things to do to avoid disease.
Though we have not yet written an article on the topic, this is not so much a question about disease as it is about sanitation among othre things (hmm, a topic which I haven't done anything with yet....grumbles at topic choices.)
The diseases you mentioned (typhoid fever and cholera) are all diseases that are transported most commonly by infected human waste. If the governments are still functioning, water treatment facilities will still be functioning. Assuming a dystopia, the simple solution to this is using proper hygeine when disposing of waste (i.e., dig a good outhouse and keep it away from the water source) and making sure the water you obtain is clean and free both of the dead and poop. In most cases the former is a rare problem, being that most of the dead bodies will be moving around anyway. In cities, this is going to be an interesting challenge since obtaining water (contaminated water being the most likely way of catching these diseases) will be difficult unless a system is rigged up within the cities waterways. Digging a well in the city is unlikely because of all the concrete and contaminated water supply from industry and other pollution, the best option for obtaining water in the city is either to leave the city, or to rig up a system to catch condensation and use a gravity fed system to feed the water to the outlets.
If cholera is caught, keep the person hydrated with clean water and nourishment. The biggest threat from cholera is dehydration, so keeping the person hydrated and giving them enough calories to sustain themselves will allow them to get better in time. If Typhoid fever, the solution may be far more complicated, requiring antibiotics, generally, though the rule of rehydration and rest is a good one still.
Ultimately, the problem of zombies infecting the water supply is minimal, though definetely something that should be considered when searching for a location. These diseases are spread through ingestion of infected water or food. Do the best you can to keep things sanitized -- as the CDC says, "boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it." Be aware of your surroundings always -- make sure that you know where your water is coming from and what is leaching into it at any given time (in my opinion, disease being the least of your concerns.)
For more info on these diseases, check out the CDC's pages on Cholera and Typhoid Fever.
All that needs to be said is this: FIRE = BAD
This is the kind of thing where being informed is absolutely necessary. If you get out with a cell whose members including yourself don't know about scurvy, you could be losing teeth left and right or worse, thinking it has something to do with the zombism and blowing off people's heads when all they need is a lemon to suck on.
All I can say is that we should all be well-informed on survival techniques and things to do to avoid disease.
All that needs to be said is this: FIRE = BAD
Abby, that's why we're here. Duh!
All that needs to be said is this: FIRE = BAD