Zombie deer disease 'may have jumped to humans' as U.S. government scientists issue warning | 13 Jan 2025 | A "zombie deer" disease that is fatal to every animal it infects could soon spill over into humans -- if it hasn't already, according to an alarming new report. Experts have been warning for years that the nearly 100 percent fatal chronic wasting disease (CWD) -- which leaves deer confused, drooling, and unafraid of humans -- could jump from animals to people. The disease has now been found in wild pigs that eat infected meat, with researchers warning it is steps away from spreading to domestic pigs -- and then humans. In the report funded by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, experts also warn the disease could spread to humans via infected deer that are caught by hunters.