Share the Lore!
By: Andrej Jovanovski
How Zombie’s Are Made
Before we look into the reason behind the zombie bite, we first have to briefly establish what a zombie is.
A zombie is an undead, who was raised from the dead as a result of being infected by a pathogen.
The method of zombie creation usually starts with Patient Zero, who is the original carrier of the highly contagious pathogen which brings the dead back to life, usually as mindless corpses that have one goal in mind, to feast!
Soon after, Patient Zero goes on a rampage, biting and turning people into more zombies by spreading the pathogen, which starts the zombie outbreak.
Yet to say that bites turn people into zombies is wrong, as for someone to turn into a zombie they’d first have to die.
The Way Zombies Attack
Being mindless corpses that attack any living beings, zombies most often try to bite or scratch their victims. The most common goal of a zombie is to eat the brain of a human being, which ironically would prevent the victim to turn into a zombie since a brain is required for a human to be turned into a zombie.
If the victim only is scratched by a zombie there is a chance that they are not infected, since the infection is spread only through direct contact with the saliva or blood of the zombie. The bite, on the other hand, is the most dangerous attack the zombies have.
Since zombies are dead-set on feasting, their most frequent attack is their bite, which is much stronger than the bite of a human since the limit of the zombies’ jaw muscles has been turned off, leaving them to use 100% of their strength.
This results in a painful experience, which even if the victim manages to escape, there’s still a high possibility they might not make it out alive if the wound is not treated properly.
How a Zombie Bite Turns People into Zombies
However, the bite itself doesn’t turn people into zombies. As established before, a zombie is a corpse that has been brought back to life via a pathogen, so the zombie bite is nothing more than a way to transmit the pathogen, or better known as the zombie virus, to a living being.
Although it could be deadly, if bitten at a vulnerable spot such as the neck, the bite isn’t the real threat when it comes to the zombie apocalypse.
What most fail to realize is that we associate the zombie bite with the creation of zombies because this is the most common way for the zombie virus to be spread.
This results from the infected blood and saliva of the zombie entering the wound of the victim, which allows the pathogen to enter the body, making the victim infected.
The Process of Turning into a Zombie
Although the zombie bite is the reason why most victims turn into zombies, we have to keep in mind that to become a zombie the victim must die.
So, if the victim manages to escape after being bitten, there’s a big chance that they’d still be able to survive if the wound is treated properly.
Yet, this does not mean that the victim is safe since they are still infected with the zombie virus which is very harsh on the victim’s system, often trying to kill them which results in the victim being sick.
No medical supplements have been shown to be able to treat the zombie virus, but some have been able to slow down and even mild out the symptoms of the virus while the victim is alive.
All of this only goes to show that once infected, there’s no way to stop the process of turning into a zombie since the death of the victim will result in the pathogen raising the corpse as a zombie.
Further showing that the bite in itself is nothing but a means of transmission for the virus, and it cannot turn a human into a zombie if it doesn’t result in death.
But to say that, if not fatal, the bite shouldn’t be feared is ludicrous, and although it may not kill us that instant, it will surely play a huge part in our downfall as it will result in us getting infected and experiencing a slow and painful death.
The Effectiveness of Other Methods of Spreading the Virus Compared to the Zombie Bite
As previously said, the most common way zombies attack is by scratching and biting, but some zombies are shown with a constant drool of blood and acid from their mouths.
The zombie saliva is the home of many diseases, most importantly of the zombie virus, of course.
There have been zombies that are capable of spitting up the blood and/or acid in a form of projectile, which can spread the pathogen even without direct physical contact.
Another common way of getting infected is if the victim has an open wound and manages to touch the corpse of a zombie. Such direct contact will definitely help the zombie virus spread.
Yet, the bite still remains the most effective way for the pathogen to be spread, since the two previously mentioned methods require for the victim to be careless and to have exposed open wounds.
Now, although there have been records of zombies missing teeth, and even some with broken jaws, the bite still remains their most effective weapon, as the gap between their teeth has more piercing strength and it makes it easier for the zombie to pierce the skin.
The broken jaw doesn’t seem to affect the zombie as it feels no pain, allowing them to still be able to bite despite the jaw not being fully functional.
With all of this being said, it is easy to see how most people often confuse the bite for the actual pathogen, thinking that it is the bite that turns people into zombies.
Having all of this in mind, it is still advised to keep away from the mouth of a zombie as it will eventually lead to your doom!
References:
Zombie Bite https://deadliestwarrior.fandom.com/wiki/Zombie_Bite , Accessed 13th September 2021 First Aid for Zombie Bites https://www.cprcertified.com/blog/first-aid-for-zombie-bites , Accessed 13th September 2021 Bites https://zombie.fandom.com/wiki/Bites , Accessed 13th September 2021