[Earth]

Drugs like PCP and Bath Salts can give a temporary "zombie effect" (mainly the strength aspect of it) as well as a tetrodotoxin from fucking up while preparing puffer fish (that's the reason it takes 10 years to get licensed to prepare Fugu in Japan).

Wade Davis, an anthropologist from Canada, performed a scientific investigation on the "Hatian Zombie" case and came to the conclusion that powdered pufferfish toxins were used to induce a trance-like state on victims for up to several years.

I heard about the pufferfish toxins but I could of sworn it was in Guam? I could be mistaken but I for sure have heard about it.

I actually think it was brought up on the series Destination Truth.

---

Not as deadly would sort of tone it down. Its deadly cos of the neurological damage it does rapidly, in addition to the fact you don't want to have anything to do with water, including drink it. It replicates in the throat, which makes it painful to even go for a drink. You'd die of dehydration, even if the neurological damage didn't exist. And if it didn't replicate in the throat or mouth, it wouldn't be a giant issue.

I know a few people who were infected with the rabies virus 1 was actually my grandmother and its not as rapid as people make it out to be. They are just fine after getting stuck with a bunch of needles.

But as I said though it is possible for the virus to change in some way just like the common flu changed therefore leaving vaccines almost useless and changing the way the virus reacts to a human.