What is Prion? Can the dangerous zombie deer disease spread..?

Scientists are concerned about a 'zombie deer disease' called Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which is spread by the growth of a protein called prion. Various new diseases are emerging after the coronavirus pandemic. In this situation, scientists have expressed concern about the chronic wasting disease (CWD) spread through the growth of a protein called prion. A deer carcass found in Yellowstone National Park in the US state of Wyoming last month was infected with a brain-damaging prion disease. Normally healthy brain proteins are abnormally increased by prions. It has the potential to cause disease in humans and animals. These infectious diseases can be transmitted to humans by consuming infected meat.


Symptoms of these prion diseases include dementia (a chronic or persistent disorder of mental processes caused by brain disease or injury and memory deficits, personality changes, and impaired reasoning), hallucinations, difficulty walking and speaking, confusion, fatigue, and muscle stiffness. A prion disease affecting deer is spreading rapidly through North American populations. Because the disease causes it to walk like a zombie, researchers have dubbed it 'zombie deer disease'. The disease has long been known to affect deer. A deer in Yellowstone National Park was found to be infected last month, raising concerns among researchers that the deadly disease could one day spread to humans.

This type of prion disease causes stuttering, weight loss, lethargy, and other neurological symptoms, according to the US Centers for Disease Control. This prion disease has been found in deer species such as deer and reindeer in North America, Norway, Canada, and South Korea. Epidemiologists say that while the zombie deer disease is not spreading rapidly, that doesn't mean it won't spread in the future. Chronic wasting disease is a cluster of potentially life-threatening neurological disorders, said Dr. Corey Anderson. He also said that scientists are discussing the possibility of a similar event. There is no known effective way to eradicate zombie deer disease, he said, adding that it cannot be eliminated from infected animals or from environments contaminated by them.
Netizens are expressing mixed reactions to the news. Many fear that if the zombie deer disease spreads to humans, it could cause another pandemic like Covid-19. However some believe that the disease poses no danger to humans.
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Sowmiya Sriram

26/12/2023 09:11 AM