Scientists Warn , 'Zombie Deer Disease' , Could Jump to Humans.
The first case of chronic wasting disease
(CWD) has been recorded in a mule deer buck
in Yellowstone national park.
'The Guardian' reports that CWD has silently been spreading across North America for years. .
The fatal disease, which has no known
treatments or vaccines, is caused by abnormal,
transmissible pathogenic agents called prions.
Prions alter its host's brain and
nervous system, leaving the animal
lethargic, emaciated and stumbling.
Victims of CWD also reportedly have
a telltale "blank stare," which has led
some to call it the "zombie deer disease.".
It has been found in members of the
cervid family, which includes deer,
elk, moose, caribou and reindeer.
Dr Thomas Roffe, a vet and former chief of animal health
for the Fish & Wildlife Service, warns that the discovery
of CWD in Yellowstone should be a public wake-up call. .
Dr Thomas Roffe, a vet and former chief of animal health
for the Fish & Wildlife Service, warns that the discovery
of CWD in Yellowstone should be a public wake-up call. .
This case puts CWD on the radar
of widespread attention in ways it
wasn’t before – and that’s, ironically,
a good thing. It’s a disease that
has huge ecological implications, Dr Thomas Roffe, a vet and former chief of animal
health for the Fish & Wildlife Service, via 'The Guardian'.
Dr Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist,
called CWD a “slow-moving disaster.”.
Dr Raina Plowright, a disease ecologist
at Cornell University, warns that CWD is just
one of many dangerous zoonotic pathogens , capable of moving across species barriers
between humans, livestock and wildlife globally. .
Dr Raina Plowright, a disease ecologist
at Cornell University, warns that CWD is just
one of many dangerous zoonotic pathogens , capable of moving across species barriers
between humans, livestock and wildlife globally.