Lethal Deer Disease Could Spill Over to Humans, Research Group Warns As It Launches an International Effort to Prepare
January 26, 2024 | Source: FORTUNE Well | by Erin Prater
The threat of so-called mad cow disease has all but faded from the collective memory, after its appearance in U.K. cattle in 1986. Human deaths from the scourge, caused by eating contaminated meat, were contained to around 200. With rare exception, beef is again safe to eat, thanks to regulations enacted in multiple countries in the wake of the crisis.
But the threat is not over, experts say. Not only do sporadic cases of mad cow disease still occur in cattle, but similar pathogens lurk in animals across the globe, posing a potential threat to human health, and the economy.
So-called chronic wasting disease (CWD)—colloquially referred to as “zombie deer disease,” a similar condition that affects cervids like deer, elk, reindeer, and moose—has been detected in 32 American states, three Canadian provinces, South Korea, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. In some U.S. counties, over 80% of deer are infected.