What is 'zombie deer disease' and are humans at risk? What you need to know

Experts have termed the zombie deer disease a "slow-moving disaster" and have urged governments to prepare for the possibility of it spreading to humans

You must be familiar with zombie illness in humans but not in animals, right? However, in a new development, hundreds of animals in the United States are being affected by a "zombie deer disease."

Experts describe the illness as a "slow-moving disaster," and countries should prepare in case it spreads to humans.

What is zombie deer disease?

The deadly and infectious chronic wasting disease (CWD), also known as "zombie deer disease," affects cervids, which are deer, elk, caribou, reindeer, and moose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The neurological symptoms of the disease, which include weight loss, lack of coordination, lethargic behaviour, listlessness, and drooling, can make an infected deer termed a "zombie deer," a report by USA Today said.

It is brought on by a protein called a prion that is flawed and builds up in the brain and other tissues, leading to emaciation, behavioural and physiological abnormalities, and finally death.

When was zombie deer disease first detected?

The US Geological Survey claims that CWD was first detected in Colorado in 1967 and has since spread to several other states and nations.

Transmission of zombie deer disease

The condition may take more than a year to incubate, and symptoms may take time to appear.

Animals can contract it directly from one another or indirectly by coming into contact with infected particles that linger in the environment, such as soil, plants, or excrement.

They can also become infected if prions carrying the infection contaminate an animal's feed or pasture.

Is there a cure for zombie deer disease?

There is currently no vaccination or cure for the zombie deer disease.

Rising cases in America

In recent times, Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park reported the first incidence of the disease in a two-year-old white-tailed deer that a hunter had killed in November, according to the New York Post. Since then, the disease has been found in 800 samples of the state's moose, elk, and deer.

31 American states have recorded cases of the disease, according to the CDC.

Outside of North America, chronic wasting disease has been reported in moose and reindeer in Norway, Finland, and Sweden. A small number of imported cases were also found in South Korea. Three Canadian provinces have also reported CWD cases.

Can zombie deer disease spread to humans?

There has never been a reported case of zombie deer disease in a human. However, some scientists are warning governments to get ready in case of breakouts.

" The mad cow disease outbreak in Britain provided an example of how, overnight, things can get crazy when a spillover event happens from, say, livestock to people. We're talking about the potential of something similar occurring. No one is saying that it's going to happen, but people need to be prepared," CWD researcher Dr Cory Anderson told The Guardian.

The fact that there is currently no known way to eradicate it, "neither from the animals it infects, nor the environment it contaminates, is worrisome," he added.