How long would it take for a biological contagion (Zombie Plague) to spread globally?

[Deleted]

In today's globalized world, where people constantly travel and cross borders freely. Where there is a large amount of constant movement. And where all these forms of transport are much cheaper and more accessible than ever before.

-How long do you think it would take for a biological contagion of the zombie nature to spread globally and why?

[dense]

depends on how it is transferred to another human. just blood infection might take a while, infection through air would be very fast.

[Tokru]

If it goes through the air it will reach every industrialized nation very fast. But till it reaches everyone around the globe it will take a long long time.

[Deleted]

if i take a closer look at my office co-workers they´re already zombies and it happened really fast!

[Velidra]

It would depend on a number of factors, including (but not limited to) method of transfer, time from infection to zombiefication, government reaction times, and a million other things.

To give you an idea bird flu spread within a few weeks IIRC, if not faster.

[Maharishi]

Honestly, I don't think most kinds of zombie infection depicted in movies ever could become a pandemic, namely because symptoms occur quickly. The real threat for any pandemic to occur is a long incubation time with high infection rates. Something like the disease from 28 days later could never spread, as it'd be incredibly easy to immediately find and quarantine infected areas.

The only realistic infection vector I've seen in a movie was from I Am Legend.

[holyevil44]

watch the walking dead and i would say that long and atleast in that show zombie are not that retarded

[Acideyeliner]

Honestly, I don't think most kinds of zombie infection depicted in movies ever could become a pandemic, namely because symptoms occur quickly. The real threat for any pandemic to occur is a long incubation time with high infection rates. Something like the disease from 28 days later could never spread, as it'd be incredibly easy to immediately find and quarantine infected areas.

The only realistic infection vector I've seen in a movie was from I Am Legend.

Way to crush my daydreams

But, if it were possible, I would imagine a couple months, if not a year. It wouldn't get everywhere, no doubt there would be isolated sections of the world it'd never reach.

[Catta]

Honestly, I don't think most kinds of zombie infection depicted in movies ever could become a pandemic, namely because symptoms occur quickly. The real threat for any pandemic to occur is a long incubation time with high infection rates. Something like the disease from 28 days later could never spread, as it'd be incredibly easy to immediately find and quarantine infected areas.

The only realistic infection vector I've seen in a movie was from I Am Legend.

except that they would starve to death quite fast...

[Kalyyn]

Is it transferred through bites? If so, it wouldn't spread at all. Think about other diseases that spread through biting. When was the last time you heard of a rabies epidemic? Sure, maybe we'd have minor outbreaks in 3rd world countries if there were zombie mosquitoes, but that's worst case scenario.
This article explains it very well. And actually read it before you go "lol cracked is a comedy website doesn't count"
http://www.cracked.com/article_18683...l-quickly.html

[Xeones]

Way to crush my daydreams

But, if it were possible, I would imagine a couple months, if not a year. It wouldn't get everywhere, no doubt there would be isolated sections of the world it'd never reach.

Who the hell day dreams about zombies?

[Maharishi]

except that they would starve to death quite fast...

Yeah but with the initial infection of the cancer vaccine there would likely be enough infected to spread the airborne pathogen far and wide. However, humanity would probably not be eradicated completely before they did starve to death.

[Deleted]

Assuming it wasn't airborne it probably wouldn't spread globally at all.

[Catta]

Yeah but with the initial infection of the cancer vaccine there would likely be enough infected to spread the airborne pathogen far and wide. However, humanity would probably not be eradicated completely before they did starve to death.

Furthermore they also have to obey biology - if they sustained damaged to lungs or blood in the transformation then they also die - without blood circulation they will be unable to move

[Maharishi]

Furthermore they also have to obey biology - if they sustained damaged to lungs or blood in the transformation then they also die - without blood circulation they will be unable to move

I think with the type of discussion we're having, it's legitimate to suspend disbelief to the point we accept that the infection in question has a 100% success rate of transforming the infected into a zombie. Otherwise, we're talking more about Firefly style reavers than traditional zombies.

[Deleted]

any1 here seen the movie contagion with matt damon ?

[Catta]

I think with the type of discussion we're having, it's legitimate to suspend disbelief to the point we accept that the infection in question has a 100% success rate of transforming the infected into a zombie. Otherwise, we're talking more about Firefly style reavers than traditional zombies.

Thread Title - Biological contagion :P

the movie Contagion gives a pretty good illustration - all those zombie apocalypse freaks just annoy me after a while...

[Maharishi]

Thread Title - Biological contagion :P

I was always a little fuzzy on that. The movie implied it was a chemical deployment. However there was the Firefly episode where the guy turned into a reaver after being exposed to reavers. I suppose he was supposedly just driven insane by what he saw, but that explanation seems more of an attempt to patch a plot hole than anything.

[Catta]

I was always a little fuzzy on that. The movie implied it was a chemical deployment. However there was the Firefly episode where the guy turned into a reaver after being exposed to reavers. I suppose he was supposedly just driven insane by what he saw, but that explanation seems more of an attempt to patch a plot hole than anything.

havent seen Firefly - dunno what it is...

Have seen Contagion though and studied biology :P

[QuinthalasKT]

Honestly, I don't think most kinds of zombie infection depicted in movies ever could become a pandemic, namely because symptoms occur quickly. The real threat for any pandemic to occur is a long incubation time with high infection rates. Something like the disease from 28 days later could never spread, as it'd be incredibly easy to immediately find and quarantine infected areas.

The only realistic infection vector I've seen in a movie was from I Am Legend.

"Contagion" (2011) wants to say, "Hi!"

(I also study Biology)