An infectious disease deadly in deer has spread to 24 states, and experts warned that the ailment – unofficially dubbed “zombie” deer disease – could one day hit humans.
Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, has afflicted free-ranging deer, elk and/or moose in 24 states and two Canadian provinces as of January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
“We are in an unknown territory situation,” Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told USA TODAY on Friday.
Last week, Osterholm testified before his state lawmakers, warning about possible human impacts.
“It is probable that human cases of chronic wasting disease associated with consumption with contaminated meat will be documented in the years ahead,” he said. “It’s possible the number of human cases will be substantial and will not be isolated events.”
Osterholm compared the situation to “mad cow” disease in the 1980s and 1990s in the United Kingdom, when there was public doubt that it could spread to humans. According to British news outlet the Independent, 156 people died in the U.K. in the 1990s because of “mad cow” disease.
For humans, eating infected deer meat would be the most likely way for it to spread to people, the CDC says.
About 7,000 to 15,000 animals infected with CWD are eaten each year, and that number could rise by 20 percent annually, according to the Alliance for Public Wildlife, which Osterholm cited in his testimony.
Scientists can’t say for sure that CWD will cross over and infect humans, but as time goes on and more infected meat is consumed, the likelihood increases, Osterholm said.
“It’s like a throw at the genetic roulette table,” he said.
CWD is a kind of illness known as prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.
“If Stephen King could write an infectious disease novel, he’d write it about prions,” Osterholm told lawmakers.
In deer, CWD spreads through contaminated bodily fluids, tissue, drinking water and food, the CDC says.
The disease affects deer’s brains and spinal cords through abnormal prion proteins that damage normal prion proteins, the CDC said. The cells collect and eventually burst, leaving behind microscopic empty spaces in the brain matter that give it a “spongy” look, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Commission.
Symptoms, which can take more than a year to develop, include drastic weight loss, lack of coordination, listlessness, drooling, excessive thirst or urination, drooping ears, lack of fear of people and aggression.
The disease was first identified in captive deer in the late 1960s in Colorado and in wild deer in 1981, the CDC said. According to the health agency, CWD could be more widespread than 24 states.
“Once CWD is established in an area, the risk can remain for a long time in the environment. The affected areas are likely to continue to expand,” the CDC says on its website.
Many state regulations are in place aimed at preventing humans from eating the infected meat.
In North Carolina, anyone transporting cervid (animals from the deer family) carcass parts into the state must follow strict processing and packaging regulations. Indiana stepped up its monitoring efforts, though testing is not mandatory.
“If you put this into a meat processing plant … this is kind of a worst case nightmare,” Osterholm told lawmakers.
Osterholm said more needs to be done in the way of testing deer meat. Though some states test, it needs to be done quicker and with a more robust infrastructure to prevent infected deer from being consumed, he said.
The CDC recommended that hunters test deer before eating meat in affected areas. If a deer looks sick or acts strangely, hunters should not shoot or handle it or eat its meat, the health agency said.
Osterholm said hunters should be cautious and follow state regulations if they’re in an affected area. “No one is asking anyone to stop hunting,” he said.
“People have to understand the significance of this. We can’t wait until we have the first cases coming,” Osterholm told lawmakers.
Stephen R
Uhh death walking terror …Imagine the carnage this will become ….
Asheim
Oh this is terrible!!
Daniel E
I imagine the Bigfoot might be susceptible then. ?
Joyce E
So is this also a potential infectious disease for bear, mountain lion/ (Sasquatch) or other predators’ and/or scavengers’ that prey upon infected dear?
Paul M
Wow..l wont be lookin for them backstraps anymore… this really sucks… lts all falling… the fish are dead or radiated… the food GMO… lts not LIKE were GOING to see 30 more yrs… Not trying TO bummer anyone’s day BUTT , IF YA LOOK , ITS BAD…
Stephen G
Spent lot of time in Michigan hunting and fishing around Atlanta Pigeon river, Black river Asable river and I know the elk had a brain n desease. Think it was prions. Anyway lot of things going on up there in the 60’s that where just starting to put togeather today.like DDT and dead cattle for food for other carnivores . Oh well just a thought.
Garry M
Chronic Wasting Disease (Mad Cow) is spongiform ensephalopathy.
It can be found in both White Tail & Mule Deer. Also has been discovered in Moose, Elk & Caribou (cervids)
Actually has been recorded in 3 Provinces and 26 States.
I know that there has been a number of culs in southern Alberta over the years.
This didn’t just start, it was first identified in a captive herd of deer in the late 60’s in Colorado.
The only way to determine if the animal has CWD is to run tests on the brain.
Research has shown that Monkeys that have eaten meat from an infected animal may develop CWD, at this there has never been a case of it spreading to humans re: Center for Disease Control
The “after” picture is FALSE on so many levels, someone did a brutal job of photo shopping that picture.
Evelyn L
It was “first identified in captive deer.” I would assume that it had something to do with feeding the deer GMO products. GMO food is deadly. GMO food is illegal in the EU and in many parts of Africa as well as other parts of the world and yet in the US out grocery stores are filled with it. Our corrupt legislators, who work for the “special interests” instead of the people, would not even make the food corporations label products that contain GMO. Well, don’t worry, pretty much every food product that you buy in the US is GMO unless it is labeled as non GMO or organic.
Wild animals do not develop cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and all the other diet related human diseases unless they are being fed foods that have been tampered with by humans.
Steven B
Well now we see there is a real life use for “green tipped” ammo… 😉
https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/hornady-zombie-max-certified-zombie-centerfire-ammo
RICHIE E
THANKS 4 THE INFORMATION WES , I AM A HUNTER N THIS WAS A EYE POPPER …WOW U CAN SEE THE END TIMES ARE NEAR N THIS IS THE ONLY THE BENNING 4 THINGS 2 COME HEE ? ? HEE …
Bobby T
I have been a deer hunter all my life, until 2018. Last year the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission established CWD Zones 1&2 and my Hunting Land is smack in the middle of Zone 1. They also set up refrigerated “Drop” boxes to deposit a portion of your harvested animal for testing or you could have it tested on your own. It’s a complicated policy but basically if I killed a deer in zone 1 it couldn’t leave that zone. I don’t live in that zone. They tell us if we de-bone the deer it’s ok to eat. How can a brain and bone disease not also be in the meat????? We are being misinformed about the real dangers and it makes me sick. My brother threw a rope over a deers neck 2 years back and led him around to the house and called the State Game and Fish and told them he had one of the CWD infected deer, this was before we were CWD regulated as we are now, but hunters were aware because a few miles away in Missouri they have been addressing it publicly for many years. My brother was told they would get back with him, no call back, no officer came by. They didn’t want to hear of it. Cover up? I’m no fool, there is more to this than we are being told. Think of the $$ the state would lose? I used to spend prolly $500 a year on my hunting gear and about $40 (can’t recall) on my hunting license. Not anymore.
Anna V
Had a friend who passed away in Raleigh recently, diagnosed with Prion Disease. Went in with flu and back problems and was given a mth. To live. She passed in a week.