Disturbing new reports are coming out indicating that two hunters from Wyoming may have just become the first Americans to die from what is known as “zombie deer” disease.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Two Hunters May Have Died Of ‘Zombie Deer’ Disease
Daily Mail reported that the nearly 100 percent fatal chronic wasting disease (CWD) causes deer to become confused, drool, and lose their fear of humans. Experts have been warning for years that this “zombie disease” could jump from animals to humans, but a new study indicates that this may have already happened.
The study in question suggests that the two hunters died of the disease in 2022 after eating contaminated venison. One of the victims, who has only been identified as a 72 year-old man, suffered “rapid-onset confusion and aggression” as well as seizures, and he died within one month.
After his death, the man was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a brain-wasting condition that has been compared to Mad Cow Disease. His friend and fellow hunter also died of the disease, though there is little information publicly available about his case.
Related: Mother Gets Death Threats For Posting Photos Of The Animals She Hunts To Feed Her Family
What Is CWD?
CJD is similar to CWD, and it is caused by misfolded prions, though it typically afflicts patients at random. However, the research team, who hail from Texas, believe the hunters could have actually developed CWD because both men are known to have eaten meat from an infected herd.
“Although causation remains unproven, this cluster emphasizes the need for further investigation into the potential risks of consuming CWD-infected deer and its implications for public health,” the research team wrote.
CWD has long had the nickname “zombie deer disease” due to it causing “parts of the brain to slowly degenerate to a spongy consistency and animals will drool and stare blankly before they die.”
Related: Animal Activists Cyber Bully 14-Year-Old Who Hunted An Elk
No Treatment For CWD
There is no way to treat this disease or to vaccinate against it, and it is 100% fatal. While it is not known how exactly this disease is transmitted, experts believe that animals spread it to each other by eating forage or water contaminated by infected feces or exposure to carcasses. Direct contact, including saliva, blood, urine and even antler velvet during annual shedding may help the transmission process.
“We’re dealing with a disease that is invariably fatal, incurable and highly contagious,” Dr. Cory Anderson, who has studied CWD, recently told The Guardian of the condition. “Baked into the worry is that we don’t have an effective easy way to eradicate it, neither from the animals it infects nor the environment it contaminates.”
All deer that die on farms are required to be tested for CWD. If one tests positive, the entire herd is considered infected. Deer, elk, reindeer, caribou and moose are the only animals to have previously suffered from this condition.
Here’s hoping that “zombie deer” disease can’t spread to humans, because this condition truly is the stuff that nightmares are made of.
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