ATLANTA – As of January, Chronic Wasting Disease has reportedly inhabited deer, elk and moose in 24 states in the U.S., including two provinces in Canada. There have also been cases of this disease in Norway and Finland through the reindeer and moose populations. What exactly is this, “zombie deer disease,” that has sparked an arousing curiosity amongst the people of the world?

Chronic Wasting Disease, also known as CWD, is a prion disease, affecting deer, elk, reindeer, sika deer, and moose. CWD does pose a risk to non-human primates, like monkeys, whom eat meat from infected animals or are in contact with brain and bodily fluids of infected deer or elk. Scientists believe that CWD proteins spread through feces, saliva, blood, or urine between animals. They also believe that even after an infected deer or elk has passed, the CWD prions remain in the environment, resulting in other animals contracting the disease. It can take over a year before an animal affected with this disease develops symptoms like weight loss, stumbling and other neurological symptoms. These symptoms are what give the disease its technical and not so technical name. The term “wasting” in its technical name is indicative that the animal becomes progressively weaker and emaciated. In movies and television shows, zombies are often portrayed as decaying corpses. One may see why this disease is being associated with zombies, but a disease coordinator, Bryan Richards, says, “These animals aren’t zombies,” and that they’re, “ready to die.”

Studies have raised concerns that there may be a risk to humans but as of today, there have been no cases of the CWD infecting people.

In the case that CWD does ever spread to people, it would likely be from eating infected deer or elk.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a survey in 2006-2007 and nearly twenty percent of those who were surveyed said they hunted deer or elk. More than two-thirds said they’ve eaten venison or elk meat. However, there is no substantial evidence indicating that people can be infected with CWD prions. Additional studies are ongoing to identify if prion diseases could be occurring at a higher rate in people who are more prone to contact with potential CWD infected meat. Scientists expect the studies to take several years before they can determine if CWD is a risk to people. To be on the safe side, the CDC has provided some precautions to take when hunting in areas with CWD:

• Don’t shoot, handle, or eat meat from deer and elk that look sick or are found dead.
• When field dressing a deer: 1) Wear latex or rubber gloves when dressing the animal. 2) Minimize how much you handle organs like the brain or spinal cord tissues. 3) Don’t use household utensils for field dressing.
• Check state’s wildlife and public health guidance to see if the testing of animals is recommended or required. Recommendations can vary by state.
• Strongly consider having deer or elk meat tested for CWD before consuming.
• Consider asking that the animal be processed individually to avoid mixing meat from multiple animals when having deer or elk commercially processed.
• If animal tests positive for CWD, do not eat meat from the animal.