Scientists warn infected deer could potentially kill human with deadly plague

Start ringing the bells and wearing 'The end is Nigh' signs, as scientists have given us another apocalyptic warning while the world keeps on spinning.

It's not just climate change, artificial intelligence, World War III, and aliens threatening to flick the human race off the planet, and as the COVID-19 pandemic proved, Homo sapiens might be more fragile than we first thought.

There are plenty of movies out there that fictionalize what could happen to humanity if it becomes infected with some deadly plague, with the likes of Contagion and 28 Years Later joining World War Z in plots that might not be as far-fetched as you'd think. After all, The Last of Us is based on the real-life cordyceps infection that's known as the zombie-ant fungus.

Despite fears that another pandemic could be triggered at any moment, we're lucky that the likes of 20 newly discovered bat viruses aren't thought to be able to jump to humans.

What is deer fibroma?

While there's plenty of scaremongering about what the various viruses and plagues could do to the human race, it seems we're safe...for now.

Unfortunately, a recent spate of zombie squirrels, Frankenstein rabbits, and mutant deer comes in the aftermath of China battling a chikungunya outbreak.

For some, the mutant deer are the most pressing issue.

Speaking to FOX13 News, state wildlife veterinarian Dr. Kristin Mansfield said that while the dangling tumors tend to clear up on their own, they can sometimes get worse: "Occasional individual animals — they will get really massive infections with these warts.

"We suspect that these deer have some kind of immuno-suppression problem or their bodies aren't able to fight off the virus that causes the warts."

As deer fibroma can't be passed to humans, we can breathe a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, a so-called 'zombie deer' disease caused by Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is giving us a whole different kind of anxiety.

What about zombie plague?

Talking about deer being found with CWD in Idaho, Dr. Elis Fisk from Washington State University continued: "It appeared to be blind. Plague is a disease caused by a bacteria.

“So, we tested the eyes, and we did detect it in the eyes. There was a lot of inflammation in both eyes. The eyes appeared to be quite large, larger than we would expect for that."

A deer suffering from plague is a rare occurrence, with it typically being isolated to the likes of rodents or the mountain lions that consume them. Although there are no known cases of humans contracting plague from deer, they have previously caught it from prairie dogs. Fisk concluded: "The chances of that happening are pretty rare, but not zero."

In September 2024, WSU warned that exposure to plague in humans can lead to sickness and death if not treated early with antibiotics. Hunters and others are told to keep their distance from any animal that is blind or exhibiting abnormal behaviors while reporting the location and species to a state wildlife agency.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reiterates that people should report any sick animals that they find – whether injured or dead.