Scientists fear potential spread of dreaded ‘zombie deer disease’ to humans

Scientists in the United States are sounding the alarm about the possible spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD), dubbed “zombie deer disease,” to humans in the future after the first case of it was reported in Yellowstone National Park last month.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CWD is a highly contagious prion disease that can also cause weight loss, staggering, weakness, and neurological symptoms.

The disease has been identified in deer, elk, reindeer and moose in parts of North America, Canada, Norway and South Korea. The first case was identified in a deer in the Wyoming area of ​​Yellowstone National Park.

Symptoms can take up to a year to develop and some have called it “zombie deer disease” as it changes the brain and nervous system of the hosts, leaving the animals drooling, lethargic, emaciated, limping and with a telltale “ blank look”. The guardian mentionted.

CWD is one of a cluster of fatal neurological disorders that includes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly referred to as “mad cow disease.”

“The BSE outbreak in Britain provided an example of how, overnight, things can go crazy when there is an incident of, say, animal-to-human transmission,” Dr Cory Anderson, co-director of a program at the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy Diseases. (CIDRAP), he said.

“We’re talking about the possibility of something like this happening. Nobody’s saying it’s going to happen for sure, but it’s important that people are prepared,” Anderson added.

According to Anderson, the pathogen, which can persist for years in dirt or surfaces, is resistant to disinfectants, formaldehyde, radiation and incineration at 1,100°F.

It poses a significant threat to both the animals and the environment it infects, as there is no known method for its effective and easy elimination.

The Public Wildlife Alliance estimated in 2017 that 7,000 to 15,000 CWD-infected animals per year were unwittingly eaten by humans, and that the number was expected to increase by 20% annually, posing a significant threat to humans.

The CDC recommends that hunters test animals before eating the meat as the hunting season is underway.

Meanwhile, Yellowstone staff have increased cooperation with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and other state agencies to identify areas at increased risk for CWD.