Chronic Wasting Disease transferrable to humans????

Read recently in a local WI newspaper (link provided below) on a possible case of CWD (chronic wasting disease, which has hit in isolated parts of southern WI but not much said of the northern whitetails...yet) being contracted by humans.

For those that won't follow the link, the gist of the article concerns a family with rich heritage in the hunting ranks who regularly, and for many years, has had a great harvest of NW WI whitetails. After the harvest they would have a feast of venison. Now it has been found that 3 of the people that have ate at this table over the years have died from Creutzfeld-Jacob disease, the human form of Mad Cow disease found in cows. Since previous calculations put the odds of getting Cr-Jacob disease at 1 in 1,000,000, the odds that at least two people closely related would die from it are thought to be astronomical. There are ongoing investigations to try and find a link between these 3 mens' deaths and their regular consumption of whitetail. The article also states these avid hunters also partook of the elk in western states, which has had it's share of CWD for many years now.

Thoughts/comments?

Joe WI Hunter
http://www.leadertelegram.com/story.asp?id=12208

and

provided below)

I believe that it is wishful

IMO, that would be over-reaction. To date, there have been about 300 deer deaths that can be attributed to CWD out of the entire deer population. The government's answer is worse than the disease; they plan on decimating the herds.

Sam A. Kersh NRA Life Member TSRA, JPOF

Sam, Actually they are trying to destroy the infected herds, at least in Wisconsin. Still wondering when we'll see some action with regard to farm raised deer and elk. Be well. Michael

I found the following information on WD on Texas Parks & Wildlife web site:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/hunt/ chronic_wasting_disease/

Is it dangerous to humans?

Epidemiologists with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and epidemiologists at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment have studied chronic wasting disease and found no evidence that CWD poses a risk to humans or domestic animals. (Over 16 years of monitoring in the infected area in Colorado has found no disease in people or cattle living there.) The World Health Organization has likewise said there is no scientific evidence CWD can infect humans. However, as a precaution the WHO also says no part of a deer or elk with evidence of CWD should be consumed by people or other animals.

Is the meat safe to eat?

While the agent that produces chronic wasting disease in deer and elk has not been positively identified, there is strong evidence to suggest that abnormally shaped proteins called prions are involved. Research completed to date indicates that the prions accumulate only in certain parts of infected animals–the brain, eyes, spinal cord, lymph nodes, tonsils, and spleen. Based on these findings, hunters are recommended to bone out their meat and consume only muscle tissue from harvested animals.

For more info, see above link...

Sam A. Kersh NRA Life Member TSRA, JPOF

Sam A. Kersh NRA Life Member TSRA, JPOF

Yes. They have a test where they can take a piece of a deer's tongue and determine the existence of CWD. This test is relatively new and is the only one that can be conducted without killing the animal. The test only works on deer and not elk.

quotes................................. If memory serves me correctly, the 'experts' said the same thing about Mad Cow Disease. And, the statement 'found no evidence' does not mean that it is not transferable. It simply means that they haven't proven it yet! This is a major point because most people do not understand the actual meaning of scientific terminology.

I am telling you that this disease should not be underestimated. But, I will also state that I believe that this disease has been around for a while and may be cyclical in nature and that we are seeing it at its apex. At least I hope this is the case. One of my reasons for this is that they have discovered a prion type disease in squirrel heads here in Kentucky.

Well, how do the squirrels have it in KY when the deer do not? There is a lot to these prion based diseases we do not yet know.

Wll that's nice.. But I don't live in Denver Nor do I have easy access to the paper that supposedly had a write-up about it.. Which is why online references were requested

By the way, how fat is this 'major Denver newspaper' that it runs to more than 207 page articles ? How does it get delivered ? Does it come in a leather-bound edition too ? Or just soft-cover ?

Thanks for both links.. I will read through it all this weekend..