Hunters Zombie Deer Disease! 2 Hunters who Ate Contaminated Deer Meat may have Died

Hunters Zombie Deer Disease! 2 hunters who ate contaminated deer meat may have died

• The deaths of two hunters may be linked to chronic wasting disease
• The prion disease causes deer to become confused and lethargic
• Hunters may be required or advised to test meat before eating it

Researchers believe that two hunters who died in the past couple of years of a rare neurological disorder may have been connected. The report was written by experts at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, and published in the clinical journal Neurology earlier this month. It suggests that the men contracted the condition by eating venison of deer with chronic wasting diseases, which a degenerative disease is not proven to be transmitted from animals to people.

Process of Disease

Creutzfeldt-Jakob and other Prion diseases can take a long time to develop symptoms, but they progress quickly once they do. They are always fatal. The cause of these diseases is not fully understood but it has believed that exposure to certain pathogens triggers the brain proteins fold.

According to the Mayo Clinic Creutzfeldt Jakob is believed to occur in four ways: randomly, which is the most common, when someone develops it without any clear trigger; inheriting genetic changes that lead to prion protein development; by contaminated medical devices used during surgery or other medical procedures (rare); and even through the consumption of contaminated meat, which can be more rare.

It has been known for a long time that a variant of Creutzfeldt–Jakob is linked to the consumption of beef from cattle with mad cow disease or bovinespongiformencephalopathy (another prion disorder). In the 1990s after a series of outbreaks in the United Kingdom, government health officials publicly recognized the link between cattle infected with mad cow disease and the humans who consumed beef from these cattle.

Prevention from ” Hunters zombie Deer Disease”

Experts have stated that there is no evidence to suggest that the prions found in chronic wasting can be transmitted to humans. There are still some big questions about the disease’s transmission between species, but there have been some experimental studies, which suggest that chronic wasting is transmissible. In a discussion on prion transfer, the CDC states that these studies, no matter how experimental, “raise concern that CWD could pose a threat to humans and suggest that it’s important to avoid human exposures to CWD.” Hunters should avoid eating meat from deer that act strangely or are found dead and should wear gloves while dressing the animal, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

32 states where “Hunters zombie deer disease” has been reported

According to the CDC, chronic wasting disease is reported in deer, elks and moose that are free-ranging in 32 states in the continental U.S., four provinces in Canada, and some deer and elk raised in farms. The CDC has stated that although the incidence of chronic wasting disease is low in general, it can spread rapidly through populations once it has become established. 

Several hundred deer in Minnesota have tested positive over the past 20 years, mostly in the southeast part of the state. Experts said that a captive deer from Wisconsin had tested positive for this illness a few weeks before Yellowstone National Park officials announced the first case of the disease.

Hunters Zombie Deer Disease Symptoms

The report’s authors stated that both men had hunted in the same lodge, consumed meat from deer of the same population and developed Creutzfeldt–Jakob before they each died shortly after. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Creutzfeldt Jakob is one of a number of prion diseases — rare neurodegenerative disorders that affect humans and is characterized abnormal protein folding in the brain. The symptoms are similar to those of dementia. However, patients with Creutzfeldt Jakob tend to deteriorate more rapidly.

The authors of the new study focused on the death in 2022 of a man aged 72 who had “presented rapidly-onset confusion and aggressive behavior.” The man had apparently eaten meat from deer populations known to have chronic wasting diseases. His friend who ate venison from that same deer population died from Creutzfeldt Jakob later.

According to the study’s findings, the friend died within a week of developing typical symptoms of the disease, such as seizures and agitation. A postmortem confirmed the diagnosis of a subtype called sCJDMM1 of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob. The authors said this finding could indicate “a novel animal-to human transmission of CWD.” However, they did acknowledge that it was not definitive proof that eating venison from deer with chronic wasting caused Creutzfeldt Jakob in humans. This possibility cannot be ruled out.

The report stated, “as long as causation is not proven, this cluster highlights the need for more research into the possible risks of eating deer infected with CWD and its implications on public health.”

FAQs about Hunters zombie Deer Disease

What is Hunters zombie Deer Disease?

Deer infected with CWD may be called “zombie deer” because the disease leads to weight loss, lack of coordination, stumbling, listlessness, weight loss, drooling, and lack of fear of people.

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