What is ‘Zombie Deer Disease’ that has the United States jittery?

Experts who have been researching on the Zombie Deer Disease have termed it as a "slow-moving-disaster" and have already alerted the government to prepare for its transmission to humans.

Hyderabad: In yet another health threat to the world, researches in the United States of America issued a warning against the spread of a new disease which is now prevalent in wildlife, to humans.

The Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) which is currently spreading wildly among animals leaves them confused and drooling. The disease which has been largely found in the samples gathered from deer, elk and moose is also being called the ‘Zombie Deer Disease’.

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Experts who have been researching on the disease have termed it as a “slow-moving-disaster” and have already alerted the government to prepare for its transmission to humans.

According to a report on NDTV, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the diseases has already spread in 31 states in the United States.

Reports by Fox news, however, suggest that no cases of the CWD have been found in humans so far. Meanwhile, some studies show that monkeys face great threat of getting infected by the disease.

What exactly is Zombie Deer Disease?

The ‘Zombie Deer Disease’ is a fatal and contagious disease which affects animals like deer, elks, reindeer and moose. It is caused by “prion” which is a malformed protein which gets accumulated in the tissues and the brain of the animals, causing them to have behavioral and physiological changes and ultimately death.

The disease gets transmitted among animals by direct contact between animals and through infectious particle present in soil. There is no cure or vaccine for the disease currently.