'Zombie deer disease' could jump to humans
A warning has been issued that "zombie deer disease," which has been seen in hundreds of deer, elk, and moose in the US, could potentially be transmitted to humans. The disease is reported to leave animals drooling, lethargic, stumbling, and with a vacant stare.
12punto
Scientists have issued warnings that "zombie deer disease" could potentially be transmitted to humans after hundreds of animals in the US were infected over the past year.
"A SLOW-MOVING DISASTER"
According to a report by The Independent, chronic wasting disease (CWD), which leaves animals drooling, lethargic, stumbling, and with a vacant stare, has been detected in 800 deer, elk, and moose in the US state of Wyoming. Experts have warned that the disease is a "slow-moving disaster" and have called on governments to be prepared for the risk of the disease spreading to humans.
CWD researcher Dr. Cory Anderson stated, "The mad cow disease outbreak in Britain provided an example of how things can get out of control overnight when a spillover event occurs from livestock to people." Pointing to the possibility of a similar situation, Anderson noted that while he is not saying it will definitely happen, it is important for people to be prepared for this possibility.
Following the mad cow disease outbreak in the UK in the 1980s and 1990s, which spread due to cattle being fed infected meat and bone meal, 4.4 million cattle were culled. The disease, which is usually fatal for cattle, infects the central nervous system, causing aggressive symptoms and a lack of coordination in animals, while 178 human deaths since 1995 have been linked to the human variant.
According to the Alliance for Public Wildlife in 2017, 7,000 to 15,000 animals exposed to CWD were being consumed by humans each year, and this figure was expected to increase by 20 percent annually. Dr. Anderson stated that thousands of people in Wisconsin have likely eaten infected venison.
Once CWD infects an environment, it is extremely difficult to eradicate and is highly resilient. It can persist in soil or on surfaces for years and is resistant to disinfectants, formaldehyde, radiation, and incineration at 600 degrees Celsius. This warning follows a report from Ginkgo Bioworks, which cautioned that diseases jumping from animals to humans could kill 12 times more people in 2050 compared to 2020.
The company stated that zoonotic diseases could become more frequent in the future due to climate change and deforestation. The firm warned that if the trend continues with epidemics increasing by nearly 5 percent and deaths by 9 percent annually, the pathogens analyzed could cause 4 times more spillover events and 12 times more deaths in 2050 compared to 2020.