The outbreak of chronic wasting disease (CWD), also known as “zombie deer” disease, among deer in Yellowstone National Park in the United States is worrying scientists who fear the disease could spread to humans, especially due to hunting.
CWD is a highly contagious and fatal prion disease that affects the brain and nervous system of deer.
The disease, which occurs in deer, elk, reindeer and moose in parts of North America, Canada, Norway and South Korea, can cause weight loss, movement disorders, lethargy and neurological symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Guardian newspaper reported that the first case of the disease was recorded last month, when the body of a deer infected with the disease was found in the park.
Although no humans have been infected yet, scientists are concerned that the disease could spread to humans, as happened in the United Kingdom with mad cow disease.
Since the mid-1980s, the disease has spread throughout Wyoming and can now be found in most states across the country, park officials said.
It is also possible that 10 to 15 percent of the deer in the Cody area that migrate south of the park in the summer are infected.
As hunting season begins, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that hunters test meat before eating it.
