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Ghoul Flu: A Comparison of Zombie Viruses in Fact and Fiction

Co-Written by Leah Davis

Throughout the zombie movies and books there have been major differences in situations and survival techniques of the characters. The same would be true of the viruses that cause the outbreaks and how these viruses are transferred from carrier to victim. Here we will examine some of these viruses represented in the movies of today.

We will start with an original classic, George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead from 1968. In this eerie yet captivating film, the scourge starts as an effect of some sort of radioactive disaster. It is unclear whether this is actually a "virus" or how it originates in victims but one thing is for certain. The affliction is transferred only one way and that is saliva to open wound contact. The only example shown of this transfer is by the victim being bitten by the carrier. The bitee falls ill with flu like symptoms and soon succumbs completely within a few hours. Then their corpse reanimates within minutes after "death". Unfortunately, the only way to "cure" this affliction is by destroying the victim’s brain. Now given the fact that today, nuclear power is widely used, the possibility of this type of "virus" making itself present in real life is very probable. And so you would find a large portion of the afflicted in towns which rely mostly on a nuclear power plant for economic well being, or in towns near nuclear waste dumpsites.

Although similar to Romero’s Night of the Living Dead , the virus that plagues the townspeople in the recent release, Day of the Dead , has some discernible differences. Not only is the virus transferred via saliva to open wound but is also spread by blood to blood contact as well as being airborne which makes it much harder to contain. The virus is developed via biological warfare by the military, which soon is leaked to the general populace by "accident". Also, this version of the virus does not completely eradicate the memory of the victim and they may still display traces of conscious thought, though not much. Although some victims may be immune to the airborne strand of this virus, ANY body fluid contact with open wounds or orifices is deadly. Just as in Romero’s film, the only way to obliterate the virus is by destruction of the victim’s brain. Ironically enough, despite the obvious holes in the concepts and details of this film, viruses that are developed for use in military combat have the highest likelihood of creating the "first" substantial zombie outbreak.

Still another example of a similar virus is the "Rage" virus depicted in the movie 28 Days Later . Understandably, the victims are not reanimated dead and are technically still alive but, they do display zombie-like symptoms. It is crucial when confronting a real life situation to recognize the differences between the latter and the actual walking dead. This virus was also developed by the military but, as a combat aid for use AGAINST the enemy to create a type of ‘super soldier’. The virus was originally supposed to give its "user" a fearless mentality, supernatural type strength and speed. However, the virus is leaked before its full development. Not only are the victims enraged but cognitive thought is all but erased and the victims attack people at random. Just as in the two films mentioned previously, the virus is transferred through bodily fluids to open wounds or orifices but, is not an airborne virus as in Day of the Dead . Unfortunately, there is no cure and even though the infected are still alive, a blow to the brain is the best way to stop them.

While the events, characters and details of these films may prove to be a bit unrealistic, the threat of a virus still remains. The general population is for the most part oblivious to this which only enables an outbreak’s strength.

Tags: 28 Days Later, Day of the Dead, George Romero, Night of the Living Dead, nuclear, plague, Rage, virus