CDC: If you're prepared for zombies, you're ready for anything

BALTIMORE - As some people prepare for the end of the world on Saturday, the Centers for Disease Control are urging people to get ready for a zombie apocalypse.

A May 16 post on the CDC Public Health Matters blog warns readers not to laugh, because being prepared for an invasion of flesh-eating zombies means you’re good-to-go for an actually emergency.

Since most pop culture references show the “zombie virus” as spreading like an infectious disease, so there are some real-life applications for living dead survival.

The CDC recommends having the following in a zombie apocalypse emergency kit (which could also be helpful during a tornado or pandemic illness):

-Water
-Non-perishable food items
-Medications, including prescriptions and non-prescriptions
-Tools, like a utility knife, duct tape and a battery-powered radio
-Hygiene items, like soap and towels
-Clothing for each member of the family
-First aid supplies
-Documents, like copies of birth certificates and driver’s licenses

Other tips include planning an evacuation route, listing emergency contacts and selecting a meeting place in case your family gets separated.

The blog post also adds that if the living dead are staggering around U.S. streets, the CDC would investigate it like any other disease outbreak. The CDC would likely focus on infection control, meaning isolation and quarantine of the zombies.

“Not only would scientists be working to identify the cause and cure of the zombie outbreak, but CDC and other federal agencies would send medical teams and first responders to help those in affected areas,” according to the blog post.

Isn’t that a relief?

For more information on staying safe and being prepared during other emergencies, check out the CDC’s website at http://emergency.cdc.gov/

Or to embed a zombie-preparedness badge on your blog, click here http://emergency.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies.asp