So how DOES the infection work?
"He's bitten! That's how you TURN!" - Larry, S1E1 "A New Day"
In "A New Day" we are introduced to the walker disease, where it seems to resemble the most common, simple concept of the generic infection in zombie apocalypse media. Bitten by a walker = Become infected and turn into a walker through infection.
"It's not the bite that does it." - Ben Paul, S1E2 "Starved For Help"
But in "Starved For Help", we are already met with the apparent truth: Everyone is infected. No matter how you die, if the brain is not destroyed, you will become a walker.
So what exactly DOES the bite do, then? I'm not talking about the cases where a walker bites your neck open or digs into your insides. If everyone is already infected, how come even the slightest wound caused by a walker makes your days limited?
Is this is in any way explained in the original material of the comics? Please enlighten me.
Comments
According to Robert Kirkman a walker's mouth is so unsanitary that it transmits all sorts of viruses and diseases through it's bite. So unless you amputate in the first hour or so all those diseases and viruses make you extremely sick and that's how you die.
That's a very good question and i don't know the answer to be honest. I just assume that every persons immune systhem can resist the virus(or whatever it is) to some extend. And when a Walker bites you the infection just get's to big to deal with it anymore.
Personal taught virus goes into your bloodstream so within seconds your infected so amputation would never work from watching show just takes over the stem of the brain so resort back to animal instinct looking just for food and to multiple like a virus. Technically bite which pierces the skin would infect you also from s1 or s2 of tv show think mention when using zombies guts to protect themselves to not let it touch their skin. In conclusion hope in episode 2 get to use a flame thrower.
This is the canon explanation but it kind of bugs me. I mean, if the bite gives you just virus and bacteria then, wouldn't it technically be treatable? Isn't there a chance that you can survive a bite just with your immune system? Of course, I think the answer is pretty much "Screw it, it's fiction" XD.