Scientists in Canada are concerned about the spread of a lethal sickness known as “zombie deer disease,” which they worry will eventually infect humans. Its full name is chronic wasting illness, a viral neurological ailment that kills almost every animal it infects. The illness is quickly spreading among deer populations across the United States.
According to The Guardian, the Canadian province of British Columbia has announced a campaign to fight its spread. Authorities responded quickly after two instances were confirmed at the end of January.
According to the publication, officials have ordered that any deer, moose, elk, or caribou killed on the road be tested.
Chronic wasting illness is caused by misfolded proteins, or prions, which are proteins that do not fold into the proper shape. After infection, prions spread throughout the central nervous system, leaving prion deposits in brain tissues and organs.
The condition is known as “zombie deer disease” because it causes deer to slobber, stumble, become lethargic, and stare blankly.
Chronic wasting disease has previously been reported in farmed deer populations in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Quebec, as well as in wild deer in Manitoba.
In the United States, a confirmed case was recorded at Yellowstone National Park, the country’s first.
Health officials in Canada have warned there is “no direct evidence” that the disease might make a leap into the humans. But Hermann Schatzl, from the University of Calgary’s veterinary school, said previous research on macaques suggests transmission of chronic waste disease between primates is possible.
“In our experimental models, it’s very likely that CWD can infect humans. Has it ever happened before? There is no positive evidence where you can say a human had this prion disease from the consumption of venison. But will it happen in the future? Very likely, yes,” he told The Guardian.