"Confused, aggressive"

2 US hunters died from “zombie deer disease”

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Krishudds/Wirestock Creators)

A gruesome disease affecting deer in the USA attacks their brains and leaves deer looking apathetic and disoriented. Because they look like the undead, the disease is also known as "zombie deer disease". The disease is now said to have claimed the lives of two people.

It has long been assumed that chronic wasting disease (CWD) is not transmissible to humans. However, a new study now gives cause for concern: two hunters have died after eating deer meat.

Dead men showed similar symptoms to animals
The researchers who investigated the deaths from 2022 explained in their article that a 72-year-old hunter had shown similar symptoms to the animals. He also suffered from confusion and aggression before he died. The symptoms had developed quickly and the patient's condition had deteriorated rapidly. A friend who had eaten the same meat also died shortly afterwards. 

Affected animals are shown in this article:

"The patient's medical history, including a similar case in his social group, suggests a possible new transmission of CWD from animals to humans." Further research is necessary, as it cannot be ruled out that the two hunters died from a CWD-like disease, according to the study by the team of doctors from Texas, which was published in the Neurology Journal.

Brain is decomposed by disease
CWD leads to a malfunction of proteins in the brain and spreads rapidly. The brain takes on a spongy, pitted structure if it is affected for a long time. So far there is no cure - the disease is always fatal. It is transmitted via excretions such as saliva, blood, urine or feces and the pathogen survives in the soil for a long time - it can remain infectious for decades.

Symptoms of the disease include extreme weight loss, stumbling, aggression and listlessness. Affected animals also stand out due to teeth grinding, trembling, muscle twitching in the head and a fixed gaze. 

Cases also confirmed in northern Europe
The disease has not only been detected in North America, but has also appeared in Europe in recent years. Dead reindeer and moose in Norway have tested positive for CWD. A confirmed case of CWD has also been reported in Finland.