Scientists have warned that "zombie deer disease" could spread to humans and that it is important for "people to be prepared".
Scientifically known as Chronic Waste Disease (CWD), it has been known to affect various species of hoofed animals including moose, reindeer and mule deer which leads them to develop dementia-like symptoms ranging from drooling to stumbling and a lack of fear of people.
Scientists believe CWD can be contracted from the bodily fluids of other animals and may occur even once that other animal has passed. Its impact has been described as "always fatal".
Since 1997, the World Health Organisation recommended keeping the agents of all known prion diseases, which are those related to a clump in the brain causing brain damage, from entering the human food chain. However, CWD can be especially difficult to diagnose according to the Centers for Control Disease and Prevention (CDC), because these symptoms can occur with other diseases.
Fears over CWD spreading to humans follow a recent increase in spillover events. Moreover, a US report recently flagged that certain diseases transmitted from animals to humans could kill 12 times as many people in 2050 as they did in 2020.
Of the concern over CWD spreading, specialist researcher Doctor Cory Anderson told The Guardian: “The mad cow disease outbreak in Britain provided an example of how, overnight, things can get crazy when a spillover event happens from, say, livestock to people.
“We’re talking about the potential of something similar occurring. No one is saying that it’s definitely going to happen, but it’s important for people to be prepared.”
Mad cow disease, also known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BVE), was first detected in the UK in the 1980s before there were between 100,000-200,000 confirmed cases in the following decade.
The disease is one causing cows' brains to become spongy and full of holes. If a human subsequently gets Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (what is linked in humans from BVE), it is probable they may have difficulty walking and have balance and coordination problems.
Other tell-tale signs include slurred speech, numbness, pins and needles and dizziness.
The mad cow disease is thought to have cost the UK economy over £740 million.
