Scientists Fear 100% Fatal ‘Zombie Deer Disease’ Will Mutate To Infect Humans: ‘There Are No Contingency Plans’
February 20, 2024 | Source: New York Post | by Andrew Court
Oh, deer.
Scientists are sounding the alarm over the spread of “zombie deer disease” amid fears it may evolve to infect humans.
Late last year, experts confirmed Yellowstone National Park’s first case of the infection — officially known as chronic wasting disease — after a deer carcass found in the Wyoming area of the park tested positive for the highly contagious disease.
Now, cases have been reported in deer, elk and moose in 33 states across the US, as well as in Canada, Norway and South Korea.
The disease “damages portions of the brain and typically causes progressive loss of body condition, behavioral changes, excessive salivation and death,” according to the New York State Department of Health.
It is 100% fatal, and there are no treatments or vaccines.
“The bottom-line message is we are quite unprepared,” Michael Osterholm, an expert in infectious disease at the University of Minnesota, told KFF Health News earlier this month.