Zombie Disease Kills Canadian Deer, Humans Might Be Next

The strange and dreadful sickness known as “Zombie Disease” is wreaking havoc on deer populations throughout Canada causing them to die in large numbers. According to health professionals, the incidence of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a cause for worry in at least two Canadian provinces: Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Deer and other big animals, such as elk, reindeer, moose, and sika deer, are at high risk to suffer from CWD, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). There is no treatment or vaccination available for this sickness at this moment, according to the report’s findings.

CWD is a deadly disease that kills animals.

Initially discovered in the 1960s in the United States of America, this condition is now considered to be widespread. As reported by Vice World News, the sickness has now spread to the following states: Colorado; Oklahoma; Kansas; Nebraska; Minnesota; Wisconsin; South Dakota; and Montana. At this point, it has been detected in 26 different states throughout the United States. In 1996, a case of CWD was detected on an elk farm in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The disease then spread to wild deer as a result of the spread.

Is it really so dangerous?

In the words of the Centers for Disease Control, it is possible that CWD will be transferred to people via the eating of sick deer or elk. The disease is particularly threatening to hunters, which makes them particularly vulnerable to it.

Hunters may get infected with the disease if they handle the corpse improperly. It is possible that blood or brain matter will enter the body as a result of this. The intake of meat may sometimes be the source of infection.

Is it possible for people to get infected?

There is no breakdown of the Prion protein, which is responsible for CWD. Even after being cooked, it retains a high level of infectiousness. For its part, the Centers for Disease Control claims that there is currently no major evidence of CWD in humans. In the lack of conclusive proof, it is uncertain whether people are susceptible to infection by CWD prions.

Health officials, on the other hand, have recommended the general population use the greatest amount of care possible. A request is also made to refrain from killing, consuming, or preparing the meat of deer that seem to be sick in order to reduce the risk of infection from such animals. They have also recommended that latex or rubber gloves be used while preparing the animal or handling the meat, and that kitchen blades should not be used in the process.

What is “Zombie disease”?

The condition known as CWD leads the infected animal to lose control of their own brain processes, according to health authorities. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has published a list of the signs and symptoms that animals infected with CWD are experiencing. Their symptoms include excessive salivation, a lack of coordination, strange behavior, frequent urination, and weight loss, according to the findings.

CWD has been termed “zombie disease” by some due to the outward traits that it exhibits. Clinical signs often appear in animals between the ages of three and four. However, symptoms have also been seen in animals as young as 15 months and as elderly as 13 years. Furthermore, they have the potential to transmit the infection via their urine and salivary secretion.