Zombie Deer Disease:
Scientists express concern over the possibility of the deadly and incurable ‘zombie deer’ disease affecting humans.
- Zombie Deer Disease scientifically as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), it is a progressive and fatal neurological disease which primarily affects deer, elk, moose, and reindeer.
- It is caused by infectious proteins called prions.
- Prions are misfolded proteins that cause other proteins in the brain to likewise misfold, ultimately leading to brain damage.
- Once these proteins accumulate in the brain, they create spongy holes in the tissue, resulting in severe neurological dysfunction.
- CWD prions are highly contagious and spread through body fluids such as saliva, faeces, blood, or urine, either by direct contact or environmental contamination.
- It is always fatal in infected animals. There is no vaccine or treatment.
- So far, there has been no confirmed case of CWD transmission to humans. However, experts remain cautious.
