(CNN) Chronic wasting disease has been detected in wild deer, elk or moose in 24 states, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning hunters to avoid handling or eating potentially infected meat.

The disease affects the central nervous system and animals can show signs of drastic weight loss, lack of coordination and listlessness. It can make them more aggressive and less afraid of human contact, the center says.

It's in the same family of disease as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which the CDC describes as "a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurodegenerative disorder."

The center says scientists believe the contagious disease is passed between animals through bodily fluids.

Currently, there is no evidence the disease can spread to humans, but the CDC warned hunters to be cautious around potentially infected animals.

Read More