United States: A ‘zombie deer‘ disease that kills any creature it affects might have already spread to people or might soon do so, say experts.
They have been reporting for years that the almost invariably fatal chronic wasting disease (CWD) – prion disease that alters deer behavior, frequently causing them to become confused, drooling, aggressive, and fearless of man – could be transmitted to humans.
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They have also noticed that the disease affects wild boars that scavenge on infected carcasses, and the researchers concluded that the disease is virtually across the bridge of infecting domesticated pigs and, therefore, humans.
According to a top infectious diseases researcher at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Michael Osterholm, “We have some limited data now suggesting that feral pigs might be infected.”
⚠️ Terrifying 'zombie deer' disease could soon infect humans. Experts urge caution as cases spread in deer and pigs. #CWD #PublicHealth #Prions https://t.co/ExpAJjWCmX
— CRN News (@CRNNewsNow) January 14, 2025
“If they can get infected, surely it’s possible domestic swine could also become infected? What would that do to the swine market? What would that do to the cattle market? These are huge issues,” he added, DailyMail reports.
Other authors of the report, sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, also state that the disease might jump directly to humans through infected deer that are hunted.
What is CWD?
CWD is terminal, and there is no cure and no vaccine or treatment for humans who are infected. Man or animal can be infected with the disease by coming in contact with saliva, feces, or blood of an infected animal.
“We know that people are being exposed [to CWD] through consumption [of meat] with prions,” Dr Osterholm added.
“What we don’t understand yet is what it would take for that prion to actually infect that human with ingestion,” he continued.
Dr Osterholm made the statements so that people develop awareness of the disease and the possible effects it has on humans.
🚨🌎 “US Scientists suggest Zombie Deer Disease may have jumped to Humans”
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) January 13, 2025
I guess Monkeypox & Bird flu just weren’t scaring people enough. pic.twitter.com/SejNX2KYh0
During the preparation of the report, the authors, who invested two years in the work, demanded an increase in funding for measures to prevent the spread of the illness, DailyMail reports.
They also warned that new strains of the disease could emerge, some of which are more likely to endanger man.
Some estimates show that approximately 6 million deer are hunted in the US every year, and people consume nearly 1.5 billion pigs yearly.
The number of new cases each year is unknown, but CWD has spread across the country and has now been identified in 33 states plus Canada, including Wyoming, Wisconsin, Colorado, and certain regions in Pennsylvania.
Fears were voiced in the middle of April last year that it had gone one step further: to infect the human population and turn into Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).