Chronic Wasting Disease

• In a concerning development, scientists are sounding the alarm about the potential spread of a condition known as chronic wasting disease (CWD), often referred to as “zombie deer disease,” from animals to humans.
• The CWD has been labelled by the experts as a ”slow-moving disaster” and the governments are being strongly advised to prepare for the chances of its transmission to humans.

ABOUT CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE

• Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease that affects deer, elk, reindeer, sika deer and moose.
  • Prion diseases occur when normal prion protein, found on the surface of many cells, becomes abnormal and clump in the brain, causing brain damage.
• It has been found in some areas of North America, including Canada and the United States, Norway and South Korea.
• It may take over a year before an infected animal develops symptoms, which can include drastic weight loss (wasting), stumbling, listlessness and other neurologic symptoms.
• The illness, which is also known as ‘Zombie Deer Disease’, leaves animals drooling and confused.
• CWD can affect animals of all ages and some infected animals may die without ever developing the disease.
• CWD is fatal to animals and there are no treatments or vaccines.