Concerns about chronic wasting disease have been raised after reports emerged of two hunters who developed neurological disorders and died after eating deer meat from a herd of deer potentially infected with “zombie deer disease.” is increasing.
of Report of two hunters The 2022 deaths announced at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in early April did not prove infection with the virus. chronic wasting disease (CWD) From deer to humans, write researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
But the researchers wrote that the incident “highlights the need for further investigation into the potential risks and public health implications of consuming CWD-infected deer.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been no reported cases of CWD in people. But past research has raised concerns that CWD “may pose a risk to people.” CDC “It is important to prevent human exposure to CWD.”
Here’s what you need to know about Hunter’s death and the CDC’s response to the report.
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CDC: Deer meat did not lead to illness or death in hunters
In a statement to USA TODAY, CDC epidemiologist Ryan Maddox said the 2022 report “carefully evaluates chronic wasting disease (CWD) as a potential risk to human health.” He said he agreed with the researchers’ opinion that “this needs to be investigated.”
But the CDC investigated 2,022 cases and considered the two men’s deaths to be “part of the normal number of CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) cases seen in the United States,” he said.
The men developed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and died. Like CWD, CJD is a prion disease that is a fatal neurological disorder that can affect humans and animals, is usually rapidly progressive, and is always fatal.in prion diseasecertain proteins in the brain begin to fold abnormally, causing brain damage and other symptoms, the CDC says.
“A history of hunting or eating venison does not mean someone has contracted CJD that way,” Maddox said. “Many Americans hunt venison and even eat it. Some people develop sporadic CJD by chance, while others never develop it.”
What is chronic wasting disease?
chronic wasting disease (CWD) causes weight loss, lack of coordination, stumbling, lethargy, weight loss, drooling, and lack of fear of humans in deer, elk, and other animals, hence the term. “Zombie deer disease”.
It was first identified in deer captured at a research facility in Colorado in the late 1960s. CWD appears in wild deer Since 1981, it has been reported in free-ranging deer, elk, and elk in 33 states. United States Geological Survey.
Scientists have been concerned about CWD since mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), infected humans in the 1990s in the United Kingdom.
“We know that prion diseases can spread from animals to humans, as we saw (with mad cow disease),” Maddox said. “Research is underway to assess whether CWD may pose a risk to people. The annual increase in CJD cases in the United States can be explained by an aging population, improved surveillance, and improved testing.”
He said aspects of the two hunters’ cases are indicative of classic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), rather than a new neurological disease caused by CWD.
Prion diseases usually take many years to cause symptoms in people. “The men died from CJD either before or around the same time that CWD was discovered in the area they were hunting, so there was no long incubation period,” Maddox said.
Their age, symptoms and brain changes were “all consistent with what is typically seen in classic sporadic CJD that is not caused by CWD,” he said. When variant CJD emerged as a result of “mad cow disease,” patients were younger and had different symptoms, Maddox said.
And ongoing research shows no increase in CJD rates among hunters in Colorado. “The results so far have been reassuring,” he said. “The number of cases of CJD or other prion diseases in this hunting population is no greater than would be expected in the general population.”
Chronic Wasting Disease: Tips to Reduce Risk When Hunting Deer and Elk
Although CWD is not contagious to humans, hunters should: Precautions to avoid exposure to chronic wasting diseases. Here are some tips from the CDC:
- Do not shoot, handle, or eat meat from deer or elk that appear sick or are acting strangely. Similarly, don’t handle or eat roadkill.
- Wear latex or rubber gloves when handling animals in the field or handling meat. Do not use household knives or other kitchen utensils for on-site dressing.
- Avoid touching animal organs, especially brain and spinal cord tissue.
- Check your state’s wildlife and public health guidelines to see if CWD testing of animals is recommended or required where you hunt.
- Strongly consider having your deer or elk tested for CWD before consuming the meat. If your animal tests positive for CWD, do not eat its meat.
- If you have your deer or elk processed commercially, consider having the animals processed separately to avoid mixing meat from multiple animals.
Follow Mike Snyder on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mike snyder.
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