Episode 319: No Bites

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Dave

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Zombie Cliche Lookout: Bite Screening

Sooner or later, people start to suspect that zombies biting people is one of the primary ways – if not the only ways – that the zombie outbreak is transmitted. Of course, sometimes the outbreak throws them a curve ball, by simply having the bite kill, and having all recently deceased raise from the dead. At any rate, in an effort to control the spread of zombies, or at least ensure their relative safety, many people are going to start insisting on screening people for zombie bites.

And once you start screening for bites, people who have been bitten are going to start trying harder to conceal those bites. This, naturally, will generally lead to an outbreak in the story’s third act, just when all the characters are distracted by the biker gang trying to shanghai their supplies.

One of my favorite parts of people trying to hide the bite is when the wound gets more and more disgusting and infected every time it’s shown, but the person who is hiding it still doesn’t want to try to get help.

About this Episode:

I realize that, 319 episodes in, this is the very first time I’ve covered the subject of checking for bites as a way to potentially screen the infected. It’s sort of crazy the big obvious stuff that never seems to get brought up, despite how frequently it comes up in the genre.

Discussion Question: How to Detect Zombie Bites

When you meet other survivors and want to bring them into your group, how are you going to ensure that they’re “clear”, so to speak?  This could be a pretty difficult task, depending on the makeup of your group and the other survivors. A bunch of dudes wanting to check a woman over for bites is going to come off a little weird. And what happens when there’s a child?

24 thoughts on “Episode 319: No Bites”

  1. If there is good reason to suspect a bite, then screw this modesty thing. Woman, child, who cares?

    If on the other hand, it is just some new folks, I’d probably just ask them politely if they had been bitten and if the answer is no, then I’d just keep an eye on them for a while before relaxing.

    • Trust would be tough, especially if you had loved ones with you. On the other hand, that might be the only way to not scare the new people away.

  2. Easiest way? Well first ask them if they have been bitten. If they answer no but with a doubt, then ask nicely to remove shirt first. Search for bites. Afterwards ask them to put it back on. Ask to remove pants or shorts. Screen for bites or possible infections. If they are clean, good, if not, we ask for them to either a) leave or b) if they want us to end their lives if it is indeed evident that they are going to indeed turn. Also, who said we all had to check? How about they guy who leads? Or the most experienced in medicine for our group?

    • Having someone with medical experience would be a huge plus, because then you could do a bite screening and an overall check-up sort of deal all at once. That would probably put people more at ease.

  3. The first thing I would do is separate the new survivors. If they’re in a large group one infected person can easily infect the rest. Additionally they have time to “get their stories straight” if they’re together. Individually they can’t concoct a whopper; and it will be easier for me to find out if anyone has a bite. If push comes to shove, I have handcuffs and pillowcases. That, or the new survivors can just keep on walking. I’d likely rather not have the “help”, anyway.

    A good way to assess for bites is to have the patient remove his or her clothing and perform a head-to-toe assessment. Ensure you have good lighting, and supplement that with a bright flashlight. Don gloves and use your fingers to feel for lesions, lacerations, and contusions. Note any erythema, heat, or swelling. Perform a second focused assessment on places where zombies are likely to bite, such as hands, arms, and legs. Have soap and water available to remove dirt that may obscure a bite.

    As for modesty, I’ll put on a scrub top and my stethoscope and tell them it’s just a routine physical that everyone gets before joining the group. Of course I’ll also have my wife covering him or her with an AR, just in case he or she starts to change during the physical.

    • Solid plan, as always Bo. Separating people so they can’t work together on their story is a damn good idea.

      • An alternative would be to put them together, but to bug the room, even if you’re just listening through the air vent. Folks will probably talk, not thinking that there are eavesdroppers. Who knows what they might say to each other? Police departments do this all the time, with decent results. Don’t take what they say at face value; but at least you’ll have something to vet.

        • I think if you had the time and the means, that would be a very interesting thing to do.

  4. I guess two factors will play a major role in how this is going to play out:
    1. Take the time to explain why you have to perform this check, what is the rationale and the implications of a failure to comply.
    2. Explain how you want to proceed, possibly leave room for negotiation on how things are going to happen. After all, the only thing that matters is that you have the assurance that no one is infected, how you figure it out does not matter.
    Or… you can wear your best pervert look, put on rubber gloves and ask who wants to go first for the cavity search…

    • I like this ration sort of approach (with the pervert look as a backup). It seems like that would be your best bet to get cooperation, versus something a little more authoritative.

  5. Me, they do a full assessment on their condition or they dont travel with us. Id do exactly has you had the comic do with Sam. Strip-down and quarantine. Dont comply, you dont join.

    • That’s an interesting notion, “Don’t comply, you don’t join.”

      I can’t remember if we’ve discussed that before or not; and it might be a good topic for the forum. Who would you let in your group? Anyone? No one? Only folks you know? Strangers?

      As for me, I am not advertising. I am not looking to expand my group. I’ve taken a tiered approach to it. At the most basic level is my nuclear family, my wife and kids. Now, at that level survival is a bit more difficult, because you have to sleep sometime; but, at that level I know and trust the participants. After that, I have extended family that are more a liability than asset. I have relations taking pharmaceuticals regularly, some with chronic pain, arthritis, a n insulin-dependent diabetic, a cancer survivor. Things there can get rough. Then there is the survival group I occasionally train with. I don’t know all of their baggage, and their relatives, and the friends-of-friends-of-friends that might invite themselves to the rally point. Things can get hinky in a hurry.

      So, as for the “strip-down and quarantine”, I’d have to REALLY want that person in the group. I mean, he or she better be like Dr. Quinn, medicine woman with a green thumb and be handy with the steel to boot.

      We all will have to make some pretty hasty cost/benefit analyses before we let anyone in our groups.

      • I believe we did do a discussion point on it at some point, but it would also make a fantastic forum topic.

      • I feel the same Bo. I am not one to advertise my group to join. I would also have the same rule as well. “you better have something to offer the group.” TEOTWAWKI, you will want to rebuild a community, but just like in the past, each person has their job that will contribute to the whole of the town. That in its self is why I think trade skills are VERY important!

        • Hell yes, I will always consider really good cooks, butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers.

          Patent lawyers and accountants, not so much. 😉

  6. I like how World War Z handled it. In the book, dogs could smell people who were infected, even if the njury was minor or well hidden. So, if the same were to hold true in real life (dogs have been known to smell cancer in humans, so I don’t think it’s that far-fetched), then have a couple dogs and use them as the screening process. If the dogs go ape, no admission. If not, you’re clear. Still would need to be quaranteened to make sure you’re not ill with some other disease of course.

    • I really liked that in World War Z too. It was an interesting take.

  7. Search ’em? Nah I’ll take their word for it, and when they change; infecting their friends? Kill ’em and the survivors will learn from the mistake.

    Reckless and with out rational response? Yep!

    • What you lack in caution you make up for in boldness. Good on you, sir.

  8. I love the second frame in this comic… Sam subtley rejoins the conversation.

    Is his newly pregnant wife bitten? Lets wait and see!

    Interesting to hear Bo’s method… I’d imagine that a lot of people will have bumps, bruises and scratches and stuff from the day to day grind of survival… I mean I have a couple of bruises and a scratch on me right now from the weekends sporting and home maintenance escapades 🙂

    I guess my question to Bo would be… what would you do with a new person who has injuries? Scratches to me would be the tricky one as you wouldn’t be able to tell where it came from whereas bite marks are a lot more obvious from a source perspective.

    Heh, I just thought of another scenario… my nephew is going through a bite people stage… my brother has a couple of bite marks from him currently… you would freak out if you saw that in a zombie world 🙂

    • It’s a classic sitcom rule: Sam comes in just in time to hear the relevant information.

    • I’d make liberal use of soap, razors, and hair clippers. Every new person gets scrubbed with soap, a shaved head, and a shave as part of the assessment. IRL, a shower and a shaved head stops lice and the spread of typhus. Yes, I am worried about injuries peripheral to zombie bites. Deep lacerations and punctures can quickly turn septic without hygienic interventions. Reading around here, I think there are a lot of people that don’t realize what a large role hygiene plays in preventing disease in society. Soap is not optional. Everyone gets a bath of some kind, every day. Even if it’s only baby wipes to the crotch, feet, and armpits.

      Add decontamination to the assessment process. Get the dirt out of the way, so I can see wounds. Again, there has to be a compelling reason to perform such tasks. This guy better be a Green Beret neurosurgeon with a green thumb.

      • Heh… I keep my hair very very short (number one level on clippers) and stay clean shaven…. so if I had no method of keeping trimmed in the zombie uprising then I’ll find your group just for the assessment so I can get a trim 🙂

        And reading around here… I think a lot of people are like my youngest brother… who is all about the weapons and scrounging for food… they don’t think about the actually important things are. My arguement against zombies has always been…. we humans can turn a tree branch, a rock, numerous other objects into weapons that could take out zombies without much of an issue, but staying fit, happy and healthy enough to use and create said weapons is the kicker. Hygiene, nutrition, sleep, and general wellbeing is the challenge.

        For example… how many people here know how to set up and run a latrine? There is a bit more to it than digging a hole in the ground.

        I’ve always said to my younger brother… when the **** hits the fan, the malnourished, sleep deprived him and his flash weapons will be no match for the happy, healthy, alert me with my rocks. 😀

        • We’ve discussed that a bit here. Leave the guns-only “preparedness” for the Walter Mittys. Three months after the balloon goes up they’ll be dead of dysentery; and I’ll take their shiny new AR’s.

          😉