The Walking Dead is a fantastic show…well, it was a fantastic show until they started killing off all the good main characters.

But the reason people found it so entertaining is that it’s something that in the back of our minds, we wonder if it could actually happen.

Preppers prepare for things such as this. But could it happen? Could a zombie disease outbreak actually happen?

Well, it looks like it already is.

According to Fox News,

A deadly disease that has affected the deer population in an estimated 24 states and two Canadian provinces could eventually spread to and infect humans, experts warn.

Speaking at the Minnesota State Capitol last week, experts from the University of Minnesota told lawmakers of the dangers of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), or what the U.S. Geological Survey describes as a “ fatal, neurological illness occurring in North American cervids (members of the deer family), including white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose.”

There is a certain tick which is being called the “zombie deer” tick which is giving animals a disease of the same name that has now been found in 24 U.S. states.

The disease has been found widely in Illinois. According to ABC Chicago,

The illness, called chronic wasting disease (CWD), was reported in free-ranging deer, elk and/or moose, according to recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

Animals with the disease have a zombie-like stare and they become so gaunt that their rib cages become exposed.

Hunters should have all game tested before they consume any animals they kill.

If the disease could spread to people, it would most likely be through eating of infected deer and elk, the CDC said. However, to date, there is no strong evidence for the occurrence of CWD in people, and it is not known if people can get infected with CWD prions.

So now I guess we’ve really got to ask ourselves…are we ready for a possible zombie apocalypse were this to continue to spread eventually to humans? Consider yourself warned.