Yes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—the serious government agency that handles disease outbreaks and public health crises—really did create zombie apocalypse preparedness materials. And it went absolutely viral.

In May 2011, the CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response published a blog post titled "Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse." The campaign was so popular that it actually crashed the CDC's website due to overwhelming traffic. What started as a creative way to engage people in emergency preparedness became one of the most successful public health campaigns in CDC history.

A Graphic Novel for the End Times

The CDC didn't stop at a blog post. They created a full 34-page graphic novel called "Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic" featuring characters Todd, Julie, and their dog Max as they navigate a zombie outbreak. Written by CDC's Maggie Silver with illustrations by fantasy artist Bob Hobbs, the comic was downloaded over half a million times.

The story follows the couple as a mysterious disease spreads, turning ordinary people into flesh-eating zombies. Throughout their nightmare (spoiler: Todd eventually wakes up and realizes it was all a dream), the comic weaves in practical emergency preparedness tips that work for any disaster—not just the undead kind.

Why Zombies?

Here's the brilliant part: preparing for a zombie apocalypse requires the same supplies and plans you'd need for hurricanes, earthquakes, pandemics, or any real emergency. The CDC's zombie materials covered essential preparedness steps:

Creating an emergency kit with water, food, medications, and supplies
Making a family emergency plan with meeting locations
Identifying evacuation routes
Keeping important documents accessible

By using zombies as the hook, the CDC reached audiences—especially younger people—who might never have clicked on a traditional "Hurricane Preparedness" pamphlet. The campaign generated massive media coverage and social media engagement, spreading preparedness messages far beyond what conventional materials could achieve.

The Campaign's Legacy

The zombie preparedness campaign ran for over a decade before being retired around 2022 and replaced with the "Prep Your Health" website. But the materials remain available as free public resources, archived by institutions worldwide.

The campaign demonstrated that government health agencies could be creative, humorous, and effective at reaching new audiences. It proved that you don't always need dry, technical language to communicate important public safety information—sometimes you just need zombies.

So while the CDC doesn't literally have a plan for zombie invasion (because, you know, zombies aren't real), they did create zombie-themed materials that genuinely help people prepare for actual emergencies. And in doing so, they may have saved lives by making preparedness accessible and entertaining.

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