Chronic wasting disease (CWD), often referred to as "zombie deer disease," has been steadily spreading through deer populations across North America for decades. This fatal neurological disease, a prion-based affliction similar to mad cow disease, causes infected animals to waste away, lose coordination, and display eerie, zombie-like symptoms. But could this deadly disease one day make the jump to humans?
While no human cases of CWD have been confirmed to date, growing concerns over its spread — and its potential to mutate — are drawing serious attention. Here’s what we know so far about CWD, how it spreads, and whether it poses a threat to human health.
What Is Zombie Deer Disease?
Chronic wasting disease is a prion disease — a rare, neurodegenerative disorder caused by misfolded proteins, called prions, that damage brain tissue. It affects members of the deer family (Cervidae), including deer, elk, and moose, and it’s always fatal. Animals infected with CWD eventually display symptoms such as severe weight loss, lack of coordination, teeth-grinding, drooling, and confusion, giving them an almost zombie-like appearance.
First identified in captive deer at a Colorado research facility in 1967, CWD wasn’t identified in wild deer until 1981. It has since been detected in 35 U.S. states, four Canadian provinces, and parts of South Korea and Europe, further raising concerns about its potential to infect other species — including humans.
