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An incurable cerebral infection resembling a mad cow, dubbed the "zombie deer disease", which causes the strange and aggressive behavior of deer, elk and moose, has spread in half of the states. – and some fear that it will happen soon in the man.
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) makes the victims messy, confused, and aggressive, while causing them to lose weight and possibly their lives, giving the nickname "zombie deer disease."Sick animals walk in repetitive patterns and lose all fear of humans, developing an empty gaze.
Like mad cow disease, MDC attacks the brain and spinal cord and is thought to be due to prions, infectious proteins that move through body fluids and remain contagious for years after leaving the body of their host. Like mad cow disease, some scientists have made fun of the idea that it can be transmitted to humans. Others see the story repeating itself.
"It is likely that human cases of CWD badociated with the consumption of contaminated meat will be documented in the coming years.Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Prevention and Research, University of Minnesota, warned lawmakers at the Capitol of Minnesota on Thursday.
It is possible that the number of human cases is substantial and not an isolated event
Minnesota is currently plagued by the worst ever known MDC outbreak. The disease is incurable and its long latency period means that symptoms can take up to a year, which means that a hunter can shoot down a healthy-looking deer and take him to home for dinner without knowing that it consumes infected meat. While a Canadian study showed last year that macaques fed on MDC-infected meat developed the disease, leading Canadian authorities to issue a health advisory, the CDC is content with "recommended"Against eating infected deer, and US wildlife agencies say eating virulent venison is a" personal choice, "according to Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
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"If Stephen King could write a novel about an infectious disease, he would talk about prions like this.Osterholm said, reminding Minnesota lawmakers that public health experts and beef industry leaders had long refused to believe that mad cow disease could also infect humans – until researchers confirmed the presence of its human variant, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, in eaten infected meat in 1996.
Rates of CWD infection are extremely high in some US populations of captive deer, reaching 79%, according to the CDC. Even in the wild, in some areas, more than one deer in four is infected with the disease. The report stresses that the impact of the MDC is "relatively weakResearchers are concerned, including the University of Minnesota team, who are looking to develop a quick test device for use on live or dead animals.
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