New cases of 'zombie deer disease' found in Carolinas

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (FOX Carolina) - More than a dozen new cases of an incurable illness nicknamed “zombie deer disease” have been confirmed in North Carolina.

The 13 new cases of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer came from samples collected in Cumberland, Surry, Stokes and Yadkin counties, which have all had cases in previous years.

CWD, described as creating “zombie deer,” causes abnormal proteins to spread through infected deer nervous systems creating holes in the brain. Animals infected with CWD develop odd behavior, blank facial expressions, staggering, excessive salivation, teeth grinding, and head tremors.

Symptoms don’t show up until about 1.5 to 3 years after a deer is exposed.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, experts don’t know if humans can contract CWD from contact with infected animals and meat, but experimental studies “raise the concern that CWD may pose a risk to people and suggest that it is important to prevent human exposures to CWD.”

No CWD-positive deer have been detected in other counties in North Carolina, according to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), so there is no evidence it has spread to any new counties.

“Working with our hunters, taxidermists, and processors, we tested roughly 19 percent of the total reported harvest statewide,” said Wildlife Management Division Chief Brad Howard. “Not finding CWD in any new counties this year is extremely encouraging. We will continue our efforts to monitor for the disease annually to remain vigilant of where it is on our landscape.”

No cases of CWD have been detected in South Carolina.

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