WhyZombie? Zombie Pop Culture to Improve Infection Prevention and Control Practices

Wikipedia currently lists 383 feature length ‘A-list’ zombie films, released between 1932 and 2014. These films indicate a number of causes of ‘zombification.’ A significant number of these films had an infectious cause of some kind (viral, bacterial, parasite, extra-terrestrial, zoonotic or other biological cause). The chapter explores this phenomenon and indicates that global health issues result in an increase in the release of infectious biohorror films in the years following outbreaks such as SARS and pandemic influenza, influencing pop culture. There are clear indications that contemporary infection prevention control (IPC) technologies are evident in these films, successful or not. Using contemporary cultural influences allows healthcare workers and the public to contextualise IPC theory and practice in an accessible and memorable way.