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clockwork2000
03-24-2007, 08:54 PM
Hi,

I have just finished reading World War Z by Max Brooks and I have to say the book is still ambiguous about the origins of the virus. While the book does describe actual warfare tactics against the zombies and stories from the survivors, it never mentions anything about the origins of the virus, if it's curable etc. I mean you'd think they would thoroughly research it out of fear of another outbreak and try to figure out where it came from.

Anyway here is the first (and most relevant chapter), if you didn't read the book:

http://www.powells.com/biblio?show=ELECTRONIC:PALM%20READER%20EBOOKS:9780 307351937:14.36&page=excerpt#page

This is as far as we got as far as initial outbreak of the virus goes. The later chapters describe how infection spread through refugees fleeing the country, illigeal organ transplants etc.

So we have this:

1. Patient Zero (the first zombie) was a 12 year old boy
2. He went "moon fishing"
3. He got bitten by something, but the water was too muddy
4. He was obviously still alive, because he came back to the village complaining about the bite
5. He obviously died in the village, reanimated and infected others
6. He went with his father - but he was never seen again (assume he drowned)

So the question is, what exactly happend and who bit him. The book clearly states that animals cannot tolerate zombie virus and simply die instead of reanimating. They cannot be carriers.

I kept thinking about it and just can't figure out what happend. Where did the virus come from? Who bit him? Obviously it couldn't have been another zombie since he was patient zero. Can the virus somehow live in natural environment?

Fierce_Track
03-24-2007, 09:29 PM
Dude that stupid link popped up like a thousand times what the hell is wrong with it!

chewy
03-24-2007, 09:48 PM
Read Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide. In it, he states that the virus has been around for thousands of years and just occasionaly pops up and infects someone through some unknown means of transmission.

Crombie
03-25-2007, 07:58 AM
Yes, you have to understand that Zombie Survival Guide came first to really get into World War Z. In the guide you pretty much have a whole chapter dedicated to the question you are asking.

The_Lord_Humungus
04-02-2007, 01:12 PM
A bite from a rat-monkey seems more plausible.

sirgunsalot
04-02-2007, 03:24 PM
there is no cure or origin

Bangalo
04-05-2007, 10:40 PM
I agree with chewy it was probably natural causes

Iron Knuckles
05-07-2007, 08:33 PM
I think it could have been something in the water. Just infected the bite.

Protoboy
05-30-2007, 04:24 PM
I think it could have been something in the water. Just infected the bite.
I'd have to agree. The guide states that the infection can only be transferred through fluid, and that even a dead cell can still infect a perfectly healthy man, woman, or child. So, theoritically, a zombie could wander into the lake, infect the lake, and thus infect the water.