According to Fox News 23** local time, the first case of "zombie deer" disease was found in Yellowstone National Park in the United States, causing scientists to worry that the virus could be transmitted to humans.
In November, a deer carcass in Yellowstone reportedly tested positive for a highly contagious prion that causes deer weight loss, falls, and mental malaise and neurological symptoms. Some call it the "zombie deer" disease. The virus has been found in deer in places like North America, Canada, Norway and South Korea.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "zombie deer" disease is a "chronic wasting disease" (CWD) caused by prions that affects animals such as deer, reindeer, sika deer, moose, elk, and so far, and no human infection has been reported.
However, some animal studies have shown that CWD poses a risk to certain types of non-human primates, such as monkeys, as these animals eat the meat of animals infected with the virus and may also come into contact with the brains, body fluids, etc. of infected deer. Such studies raise concerns about the risk of "human-to-human" transmission of the virus.
Fox News reports that some epidemiologists believe that the absence of "human-to-human" cases does not mean that this will not happen. Epidemiologist Anderson says there is no known way to simply and effectively ** the virus.
According to the Guardian, the Public Wildlife Federation estimated in 2017 that about 7,000 to 15,000 animals infected with CWD are inadvertently eaten by people every year, and this number is estimated to grow at a rate of 20% per year. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, CWD currently exists in 32 states in the United States and 3 provinces in Canada.
With the hunting season approaching, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly recommends that people test their hunted animals before eating meat and that they should not eat meat from cervids that show symptoms.
Editor in charge: Cheng Xuehan.