Deer in two Maryland national parks have tested positive for a highly contagious and deadly brain disease known as “zombie deer disease,” officials announced Tuesday. This is the first time such a case has been confirmed in a national park in the state.
According to the National Park Service, two deer were killed at Antietam National Battlefield and Monocacy National Battlefield during recent operations aimed at reducing white-tailed deer populations to protect and restore native plants and preserve historic landscapes. has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
CWD is a prion disease that can cause weight loss, stumbling, fatigue and neurological symptoms, according to the CDC. The disease has been confirmed in deer, elk, reindeer, and moose in areas of the United States, Canada, Norway, and South Korea. Symptoms may take up to a year to develop.
These two cases mark the first positive cases of CWD detected in Maryland’s national parks, but officials say the disease has been present in the state since 2010.
Scientists worry about the possibility of ‘zombie deer disease’ infecting humans
Two white-tailed deer recently tested positive for chronic wasting disease at the Antietam and Monocacy National Battlefields in Maryland. Officials say these are the first confirmed cases in a national park in the state. (Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images, File)
National parks in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., all participate in CWD monitoring programs that monitor the health of wildlife, park officials said. All results so far this year have been negative.
Monocacy National Battlefield is located in Frederick, Maryland. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
CWD is fatal to infected animals, but so far no treatment or vaccine has been discovered.
Wisconsin deer farm infected with deadly brain disease
The CDC says that although no human cases of CWD have been reported, some studies suggest it may pose a risk to humans.
Chronic wasting disease has been found in deer, elk, reindeer, and moose in areas of North America, Canada, Norway, and South Korea. (J. Irwin/Classic Stock/Getty Images)
Authorities advised against eating meat from animals infected with CWD or suspected of having CWD.
Click to get the FOX News app
In November, the first case of CWD was confirmed in Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park when a dead deer was found in the park. The deadly brain disease has spread across Wyoming since the mid-1980s and is now found in most parts of the state, park officials said at the time.
