Is "zombie deer disease" a threat to humans?
By Ashley Welch
/ CBS News
It may sound like a scene out of a horror movie, but cases of "zombie deer disease" are popping up across the Midwest and some experts are warning it could pose a threat to humans.
The illness, which is actually called chronic wasting disease, affects free-ranging deer, elk, and moose. The disease erodes the brain so the animal salivates and acts lethargic, in a sort of zombie-like state.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cases of chronic wasting disease have been reported at least 24 states, as well as two provinces in Canada.
The disease is always fatal. It is thought to spread between animals through contact with contaminated body fluids and tissue. It can also be transmitted indirectly through environmental exposures, such as in tainted drinking water or food.
"It's a disease that you can't get rid of," Dale Garner, wildlife chief for Iowa's Division of Natural Resources, told CBS Chicago. "There's no cure so far. So as long as you have deer on the landscape, and it continues to spread from animal to animal, you'll probably have more."
To date, there have been no cases of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, in humans. However, some experts have raised concerns that it could pose a threat to people.
Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, recently warned that the nature of the disease is similar to mad cow disease, which can be transmitted from infected cows to people.
"It is my best professional judgment based on my public health experience… that it is probable that human cases of CWD associated with the consumption of contaminated meat will be documented in the years ahead. It is possible that number of human cases will be substantial and will not be isolated events," he said, according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
Like mad cow and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease in humans, chronic wasting disease is believed to be caused by abnormal proteins called prions which multiply and cause damage to the brain and spinal cord.
To be as safe as possible and to decrease the potential risk of exposure to chronic wasting disease, the CDC recommends that people not touch road kill and that hunters not shoot, handle or eat meat from deer and elk that look sick or are acting strangely. Hunters should also wear gloves when dressing deer and should have the meat tested before eating it.
First published on February 19, 2019
© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Ashley Welch
Ashley Welch covers health and wellness for CBSNews.com
Twitter 
Is "zombie deer disease" a threat to humans?
The disease erodes the brain so the animal salivates and acts lethargic, in a sort of zombie-like state
16M ago 
Payless files for bankruptcy, closing 2,500 North American stores
Less than two years after a first bankruptcy and reorganization, it says the stores will be shuttered soon
39M ago 
Michael B. Jordan, Michelle Yeoh join Oscars presenters
More actors have signed on to present awards along with Michael Keaton, Danai Gurira, Helen Mirren and Tyler Perry at Sunday's ceremony
49M ago 
Surging Walmart sidesteps the holiday sales letdown
Both in stores and online, the retail giant posted fourth-quarter results that dispell some of the sector's gloom
58M ago 
Biden speaks at University of Pennsylvania
Biden is delivering remarks at the Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement
58M ago 
House Dems probe plan to share nuclear tech with Saudis
House Oversight Committee investigates plan supported by Michael Flynn and Tom Barrack to build dozens of nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia
48M ago
Biden speaks at University of Pennsylvania
Biden is delivering remarks at the Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement
58M ago 
Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters to leave White House
Walters departs her role as deputy press secretary for a job with Edelman public relations
1H ago 
Pence names ex-White House aide Marc Short as next chief of staff
Short, who served as the White House legislative director, has been working at the University of Virginia
2H ago 
Roger Stone's FBI-raided Florida home now up for rent
The longtime associate of President Trump is moving out of his Fort Lauderdale residence
2H ago
House Dems probe plan to share nuclear tech with Saudis
House Oversight Committee investigates plan supported by Michael Flynn and Tom Barrack to build dozens of nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia
48M ago 
Vatican confirms secret guidelines for priests who father kids
Church forbids clergymen from sex and marriage, but sometimes vows are broken, and until now, many children have suffered in silence
51M ago 
Lightsaber dueling now an official sport in France
You can now officially compete in the ways of the Jedi
1H ago 
Scientists discover 300,000 new galaxies
200 scientists from 18 countries have revealed hundreds of thousands of previously undetected galaxies
1H ago 
Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel fashion icon, has died at 85
A decades-long fashion career led to Vogue magazine dubbing him the "unparalleled interpreter of the mood of the moment"
3H ago 
Michael B. Jordan, Michelle Yeoh join Oscars presenters
More actors have signed on to present awards along with Michael Keaton, Danai Gurira, Helen Mirren and Tyler Perry at Sunday's ceremony
49M ago
Lightsaber dueling now an official sport in France
You can now officially compete in the ways of the Jedi
1H ago
Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel fashion icon, has died at 85
A decades-long fashion career led to Vogue magazine dubbing him the "unparalleled interpreter of the mood of the moment"
3H ago 
Brothers questioned in Jussie Smollett case speak out
Ola and Abel Osundairo went from persons of interest in the case to potential suspects to being released without charges
Feb 18 
21 Savage on his immigration case: "I'm not leaving without a fight"
The rapper opened up about his time in ICE custody and how his uncertain immigration status shaped him into the man he is today
Feb 18 
Scientists discover 300,000 new galaxies
200 scientists from 18 countries have revealed hundreds of thousands of previously undetected galaxies
1H ago 
Scientist who popularized term "global warming" dies at 87
Longtime Columbia University professor and researcher Wallace Broecker was known as the "grandfather of climate science"
10H ago 
"Snow moon" 2019 will be this year's brightest "supermoon"
All 3 of this year's supermoons fall between January and March; here's how to get the best views of this one
10H ago 
Misinformation online helps fuel measles outbreak
Tech companies like Facebook and Google are being criticized for the role false medical information may have played in the ongoing measles outbreak in the Pacific Northwest
Feb 18 
Amazon wants half of shipments to be carbon neutral by 2030
Ecommerce giant has faced criticism for not doing enough in the fight against climate change
Feb 18
Is "zombie deer disease" a threat to humans?
The disease erodes the brain so the animal salivates and acts lethargic, in a sort of zombie-like state
16M ago 
Nature's Path recalls gluten-free cereal due to undeclared gluten
Food maker recalls some batches of gluten-free product sold around the U.S. because it may contain wheat and barley
2H ago 
Scientifically proven ways to lose weight
Experts say it's the quality, not just the quantity, of what you eat that matters
4H ago 
Grand Canyon tourists reportedly exposed for years to radiation
A safety manager for the park says the exposure came from uranium rocks stored in buckets
6H ago 
Salmonella outbreak hitting pet food brands
At least two makers of animal food have been affected by a widespread turkey recall that has sickened hundreds
10H ago 
Payless files for bankruptcy, closing 2,500 North American stores
Less than two years after a first bankruptcy and reorganization, it says the stores will be shuttered soon
39M ago
House Dems probe plan to share nuclear tech with Saudis
House Oversight Committee investigates plan supported by Michael Flynn and Tom Barrack to build dozens of nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia
48M ago
Surging Walmart sidesteps the holiday sales letdown
Both in stores and online, the retail giant posted fourth-quarter results that dispell some of the sector's gloom
58M ago
Nature's Path recalls gluten-free cereal due to undeclared gluten
Food maker recalls some batches of gluten-free product sold around the U.S. because it may contain wheat and barley
2H ago 
How to make money in the stock market over time
Watching stocks swing up and down can be scary — but not if you keep these basic investment tips in mind
5H ago 
Ex-cop who killed teen contests rare challenge to his sentence
Jason Van Dyke's attorneys say such the challenge from prosecutors is only warranted in extraordinary circumstances
5H ago 
4 dead, including children, in western Michigan shooting
Officials in Kent County, Michigan, say they are not searching for a suspect in the shooting at a home Monday
18H ago 
Vatican hopes sexual abuse summit will be a turning point
Organizers of an extraordinary summit said they hope it will mark a "turning point" in the Catholic church's approach to clergy sex abuse
22H ago 
Illinois guns "honor system" in question after deadly workplace shooting
Aurora's police chief says Gary Martin shouldn't have had the gun he allegedly used to kill five of his colleagues Friday
22H ago
Brothers questioned in Jussie Smollett case speak out
Ola and Abel Osundairo went from persons of interest in the case to potential suspects to being released without charges
Feb 18
