Zombie Deer Disease (Chronic Wasting Disease)

Health officials of Florida in September 2025 have confirmed new cases of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), popularly known as “Zombie Deer Disease”—marking the state’s second detected instance of the fatal neurological infection in wild deer.

• Its geographic spread continued to expand across North America, with surveillance updates showing detection in 36 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces.
• CWD is a fatal prion disease of cervids such as deer, elk, moose, and reindeer. It is caused by misfolded prion proteins, not by bacteria or viruses.
• It is called “zombie deer disease” because infected animals may show weight loss, drooling, ....