“Zombie Deer Disease”

[Venomous 18,813]

Yes, that is the title.

For those of you unaware, there’s a deadly disease spreading among elk and deer in the United States, and now experts are warning that it may one day be transmittable to humans who eat meat from wild game. The infection, known as chronic wasting disease, is related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease—which explains the equally terrifying nickname this illness has been given: zombie deer disease.

More general information (recommended): https://www.vox.com/2019/2/21/18233227/zombie-deer-disease-map

More details regarding the disease: https://www.cdc.gov/prions/cwd/index.html

Do you think that we, as humans, should be worried about this disease? I am a veterinary technician so my knowledge on zoonotic diseases is pretty fair. With that being said, I do not believe that we have reason to worry about this disease spreading to us at the moment.

 

[Will Guide 21,325]

How long will it take before Pathfinder freaks out at News like this?

[AveryGamerDude 4,640]

Eh I'm sure we'll be fine, but it becoming a worldwide pandemic is definitely a possibility. I dunno, that's just me.

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

Perhaps finding a way to spot the infected deer and getting rid of them could be a potential solution for terminating the disease.

Maybe the government should try that.

[MangoFoalix 24,898]

3 minutes ago, Will Guide said:

How long will it take before Pathfinder freaks out at News like this?

Kind of already told @PathfinderCS yesterday about it.

[Will Guide 21,325]

Just now, TwilySparky said:

Kind of already told @PathfinderCS yesterday about it.

Did he freak or show great concern?

[MangoFoalix 24,898]

2 minutes ago, Will Guide said:

Did he freak or show great concern?

Take it straight from the deer's mouth.

[RDDash 18,866]

It's not what you think it is, the deer just dies and that's it.

[Jedishy 3,542]

I think it is as possible to transmit cross-species as any other disease. So while it looks ugly the media is just using it for clickbait. 

[SparklingSwirls 21,261]

It seems unlikely fortunately. Hopefully deer populations with the disease can be isolated somehow.

51 minutes ago, TwilySparky said:

Take it straight from the deer's mouth.

Wait, isn’t that a good thing?  

Edited March 6, 2019 by SparklingSwirls

[MangoFoalix 24,898]

1 minute ago, SparklingSwirls said:

It seems unlikely fortunately. Hopefully deer populations with the disease can be isolated somehow.

Wait, isn’t that a good thing?  

I sure hope so!

[SparklingSwirls 21,261]

Just now, TwilySparky said:

I sure hope so!

Or maybe he just really wants to be a zombie and haunt all of us

Edited March 6, 2019 by SparklingSwirls

[CheeryFox 23,811]

I'm not worried because there are no cases and thus not a zoonotic disease. I'm only interested in the numbers. And...I don't eat deer anyway. 

[Phosphor 11,522]

I've been reading about prion diseases after hearing some of the game wardens talk about it on the statewide radio. 

CWD could devastate the deer population if it isn't controlled. As far as transmission to humans, that hasn't happened yet. Hope it stays that way. Maybe CWD will be like Scrapie (prion disease in sheep) as in it's not transmissible to humans that we know of.  

Prion diseases are scary considering that they cannot be easily destroyed with heat, UV light, and radiation and can persist in the environment for years. Oh, and there's no cure. 

 

[Twiggy 2,965]

Dang. So it's gonna be zombies? I was hoping for Fallout IRL not Resident Evil.

Would still be more worried about mad cow than this tbh. While I enjoy my venison, it's a very rare treat from whenever I or one of my friends manages to bag a buck. I eat beef almost every day. The only thing more worrying is that it may be harder to predict as the disease can not be as easily contained as it is with cattle.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Twiggy

[Venomous 18,813]

17 hours ago, Twiggy said:

Dang. So it's gonna be zombies? I was hoping for Fallout IRL not Resident Evil.

Would still be more worried about mad cow than this tbh.

I agree. Mad cow disease is zoonotic and is, therefore, more of a threat than chronic wasting disease. Chronic wasting disease has been found to affect primates (specifically macaques) but not yet humans.

[Sunlight Glisten 368]

We got chlamydia from sheep and aids from monkeys. Why not wasting disease from deer. 

Would we even notice. Our brains are already being melted by screen time on computers, cell phones, and tv. People are lazier now than in thr entire human history. 

I know this disease kills those infected. I have personal experiance with my goats contracting it or something very similar one year. But im saying if as a society people do next to nothing all day... if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it make a sound?

Edited March 7, 2019 by Sunlight Glisten

[Lucky Bolt 34,915]

That name just gives me the creeps.