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Zombie Deer Disease, known formally as chronic wasting disease, may have caused the death of two hunters in 2022.
What Is The Zombie Deer Disease?
So no, zombie deer disease does not in any way have to do with eating brains. Rather, it is a highly contagious mutation that is 100% fatal.
Chronic wasting disease, or as we’ll call it, CWD, was first identified in Colorado in the late 1960’s. Deer in captivity originally presented the initial symptoms of low brain activity, drooling, and confusion.
Every single deer to have been diagnosed with CWD has died.
The disease has also been found in elk, moose, caribou, and other similar large game.
Prion Diseases
Many people have heard about mad cow disease, which affects many agricultural mammals. This disease, known to scientists as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, comes from misfolded proteins called prions that spread through the body and settle in the brain.
When the first case of mad cow disease “jumped” to humans, it was called the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease variant, or CJD.
CJD, BSE, and CWD are all prion diseases where mutated proteins settle in the brain and quickly break it down. In humans, the symptoms of a prion disease resemble accelerated dementia.
Zombie Deer Disease In Action
For years, scientists and doctors have researched the possibility of humans being infected with the deadly zombie deer disease.
In February 2024, a New York Post article detailed researchers’ thoughts.
According to that New York Post article, “the most likely way humans could contract the disease would be through the consumption of infected venison.”
Scientists are now wondering if this is exactly what happened to two hunters in 2022.
According to CBS, two hunters consumed venison from a population that was known to carry CWD.
One of the hunters, a 72-year-old man, suffered rapid onset confusion and aggression, as well as seizures, according to an article from Focusing On Wildlife.
Similar to the zombie deer disease, whatever this man contracted killed him and his friend within a month.
Both hunters were diagnosed with the mad cow variant, CJD. But scientists are now wondering if it was really the zombie deer disease (CWD) that killed both hunters.
Scientists Show Increasing Concerns
Scientists and researchers have long placed hunters in the most danger regarding the zombie deer disease.
Amira Roess, a doctor from George Mason University, did an interview discussing her concerns with the disease.
“The risk of prion disease from deer appears low if humans limit their contact with deer, especially their blood and nervous tissue,” Roess said.
She explained that most people don’t come into contact with wildlife, and giving them a wide berth would protect most humans from the zombie deer disease.
But Roess expressed concern “that it is a matter of time before we find prion disease among people whose only exposure was through direct contact with deer.”
And who comes into direct contact with deer? Hunters. Roess emphasized that deer hunters are at a higher risk, but by following proper protocol, can avoid infection.
Cautionary Measures Against Zombie Deer Disease
Scientists across the board agree the zombie deer disease is spread through bodily liquids and tissues.
There really is no cure or vaccine for prion diseases, so caution is the only way to avoid potential infection.
Farmers are instructed to test any deer found dead on a farm for CWD.
Hunters should be aware of what areas infected deer have been found. They should be careful not to touch a deer that shows symptoms of the zombie deer disease.
Because it is so contagious, if one deer in a herd has been identified to carry the disease, the rest of the herd is considered infected.
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The disease can be spread through any bodily fluids. If an infected deer peed on a patch of grass, any other deer who ate that grass could be infected too.
Hunters are likely to come under blast if this disease worsens, like scientists fear. But we can show caution and by being aware we can act appropriately.
I recommend doing your own research, especially if you intend to hunt in an infected area.
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