Scientists have raised concerns about the emergence of a potentially hazardous disease known as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), colloquially referred to as the ‘Zombie Deer Disease.’ The discovery of a deer carcass testing positive for this prion-driven ailment in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, has triggered alarm bells among researchers.
Symptoms of CWD:
CWD, also known as Chronic Wound Disease, is a type of prion disease that affects a wide range of animals, including deer and elk, as well as reindeer and moose. Symptoms of CWD include: Drooling, lack of appetite, lack of energy, struggling to walk, neurological abnormalities, weight loss. The recent spread of CWD among North American deer populations has given rise to the term ‘Zombie Deer Disease’.
What are Prions?
Prions are misfolded proteins that cause abnormal folding of normal brain proteins. Prions can affect animals and humans, and the highly contagious nature of the disease raises fears that it could spread to humans through human consumption of infected meat.
While there have been no confirmed human infections, scientists warn that the slow onset of symptoms and lack of a human spillover do not eliminate the risk to human health, similar to the unpredictability of the mad cow disease pandemic in Britain.
Dr. Cory Anderson, a program co-director at the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), underscores the need for preparedness, stating, “No one is saying that it’s definitely going to happen, but it’s important for people to be prepared.”
Adding to the complexity, CWD proves challenging to eradicate once it contaminates an area, persisting for years in soil or on surfaces. The prion has demonstrated resistance to common disinfectants, formaldehyde, radiation, and incineration at high temperatures.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledges the potential risk to humans, citing animal studies suggesting a risk to certain non-human primates exposed to CWD-infected materials. Since 1997, the World Health Organization has emphasized the importance of preventing agents of known prion diseases, including CWD, from entering the human food chain.
Some are worried that the virus could spread to humans, causing a pandemic similar to the one caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19). However, despite the uncertainty, scientists stress the importance of keeping an eye on emerging zoonotics and responding to potential threats.