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MDC is an ever-fatal disease that leaves the brain with holes. What is this condition always fatal and how do people fight against its spread?
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A deadly infectious disease in deer has spread in 24 states and experts have warned that this disease – unofficially known as "zombie" deer disease – could one day hit humans.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has affected deer, elk and / or moose roaming freely in 24 states and two Canadian provinces since January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

"We are in a situation of unknown territory," said TODAY USA Friday Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

Last week, Osterholm testified before lawmakers of his state, warning against possible impacts on humans.

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"It is likely that human cases of chronic wasting disease associated with the consumption of contaminated meat will be documented in the coming years," he said. "It is possible that the number of human cases is substantial and not an isolated event."

More: Deer disease "zombie": what is it and could it affect humans?

Osterholm compared the situation to "mad cow" disease in the 1980s and 1990s in the UK, while public opinion doubted that the disease could spread to humans. According to the British newspaper The Independent, 156 people died in the United Kingdom in the 1990s because of the "mad cow" disease.

According to the CDC, no cases of MDC have been reported in humans, but studies have shown that it can be transmitted to animals other than deer, including primates.

For humans, eating infected deer meat would be the most likely way to spread to people, says the CDC.

Approximately 7,000 to 15,000 CWD infected animals are consumed each year, and this number could increase by 20% per year, according to the Alliance for Public Wildlife, cited by Osterholm in his testimony.

Scientists can not say with certainty that CWD will cross and infect humans, but as time passes and more and more infected meat is consumed, the likelihood increases, Osterholm said.

"It's like throwing at the table of genetic roulette," he said.

MDC is a kind of disease called prion disease or transmissible spongiform encephalopathy.

"If Stephen King could write a novel about infectious diseases, he would write about prions," Osterholm told lawmakers.

According to the CDC, in deer, CWD is spread through body fluids, tissues, drinking water and contaminated food.

The disease affects the brain and spinal cord of cervids through abnormal prion proteins that damage normal prion proteins, the CDC said. The cells congregate and eventually burst, leaving behind microscopic empty spaces in the brain material that give it a "spongy" appearance, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Commission.

Symptoms, which may take longer than a year, manifest as drastic weight loss, lack of coordination, apathy, excessive salivation, excessive thirst or excessive urination, droopy ears, shortness of breath. for fear of people and aggression.

The disease was first identified in captive deer in the late 1960s in Colorado and wild deer in 1981, the CDC said. According to the health agency, the MDC could be more prevalent than 24 states.

"Once the CWD is established in an area, the risk can remain in the environment for a long time, and affected areas are likely to continue to expand," says the CDC on its website.

Many national regulations have been put in place to prevent humans from eating infected meat.

In North Carolina, any person carrying deer carcasses (deer family animals) in the state must follow strict rules of treatment and packaging. Indiana has intensified its surveillance efforts, although testing is not mandatory.

"If you put that in a meat processing plant … it's kind of the worst nightmare," Osterholm told lawmakers.

Osterholm said that more needed to be done to test deer meat. Although some states are testing, this needs to be done more quickly and with more robust infrastructure to prevent the consumption of infected deer, he said.

The CDC recommended that hunters test deer before eating meat in the affected areas. If a deer looks sick or acts strangely, hunters should not shoot, handle or eat their meat, the health agency said.

Osterholm said hunters should be cautious and follow state regulations if they are in an affected area. "No one is asking anyone to stop hunting," he said.

"People need to understand the meaning of this, we can not wait for the first cases to arrive," Osterholm told lawmakers.

Contributors: Karen Chávez, Sarah Bowman and Brett Molina

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