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Deer, elk and moose affected by Chronic Wasting Disease, the so-called “zombie deer disease,” continues to spread to more US states and experts are now concerned that the disease could spread to humans.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), wild deer, elk and moose in at least 24 states are impacted, where infection rates may exceed 10 percent of the population. Among captive herds of deer, a greatly increased infection rate of nearly 4 in 5 animals (79%) is occurring.
The CDC is advising hunters to have meat tested for the disease before consuming it.
Experts say that Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is spreading, now showing up in at least 24 US states, according to CDC.
The disease has been reported in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming as of January 2019.
The disease was first detected in the late 1960s among captive deer, and detected in wild deer in 1981. The disease does not naturally in fact domesticated animals or cattle.
Chronic Wasting Disease is in the same family as the human form of Mad Cow Disease.
The disease isn’t actually a “zombie disease,” but has picked up that nickname due to the symptoms displayed by animals that have contracted the disease. Animals affected by Chronic Wasting Disease will display listlessness, drooling, stumbling, drooping ears or a lack of coordination. Other symptoms include aggression, a lack of fear of people, excessive thirst of urination, or drastic weight loss.
The CDC is warning hunters going after wild elk or deer in states or regions where CWD has been reported to have the animals tested for the disease before consuming any meat from such animals.
“Hunters harvesting wild deer and elk from areas with reported CWD should check state wildlife and public health guidance to see whether testing of animals is recommended or required in a given state or region,” the CDC advised.
The CDC said that “to date, there is no strong evidence for the occurrence of CWD in people;” but if CWD could spread to people, “it would most likely be through eating of infected deer and elk.”
So far, there have been no reported cases of people infected with CWD.
