Scientists Warn The Zombie Apocalypse May Be In Our Near Future Thanks To This 'Zombie Disease'
Right now, you're either excited or scared. Maybe both.
Zombie stories have been around forever, but this one takes the fear factor in a very different direction. A rare disease called chronic wasting disease, or CWD, is spreading through deer and other animals, and that has people wondering how far it could go.
The situation gets unsettling fast because CWD affects the brain and behavior of infected animals, which is exactly the kind of detail that makes zombie comparisons stick. It is still a disease found in deer, elk, moose, and related species, but the possibility of human transmission is what keeps the conversation going.
That is where the real nightmare starts to feel a little less fictional.
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Now, for those of you left scoffing at the very idea, you should know that all perceptions of the potential zombie apocalypse are no longer mere flights of fancy. They may very well be our reality, and it's all thanks to a rare disease called CWD (chronic wasting disease) that, so far, only presents itself in deer.
...but it might transfer to human beings. Yikes.
GiphyChronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a contagious neurological disease affecting deer, elk, and moose. It causes a characteristic spongy degeneration of the brains of infected animals, resulting in emaciation, abnormal behavior, loss of bodily functions, and death.
Currently, it has only been affecting a few species of deer (like elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and moose), but it is spreading at an alarming rate in both the US and Canada. While the deer certainly aren't eating each other, the process from healthy and alive to death sure sounds like the plotline of nearly every zombie movie I've ever seen:
The infection attacks the spinal cord and other tissues, resulting in dramatic weight loss, lack of coordination, and aggression! Then, of course, death.
Sounds like too much of a coincidence to me.
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CWD is known as 'Zombie Deer Disease' because of the progression and symptoms of the illness.
WWMD
According to the experts:
"Currently, there is no evidence that CWD poses a risk for humans; however, public health officials recommend that human exposure to the CWD infectious agent be avoided as they continue to evaluate any potential health risk."
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Zombie fanatics right now:
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It's complicated.
This disease only emerged a mere 50 years ago, and it can take years for symptoms to become apparent. This makes avoiding human exposure complicated.
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It’s only a matter of time before a prion emerges that can spread to humans.
Because:
While extensive disease surveillance in Canada and elsewhere has not provided any direct evidence that CWD has infected humans, the potential for CWD to be transmitted to humans cannot be excluded. In exercising precaution, HPFB continues to advocate that the most prudent approach is to consider that CWD has the potential to infect humans.
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Popsugar
Before you book, see the CDC’s Level 2 warning for 32 countries over paralysis-linked illness.
