 |
| feature image credit (Oxford) |
A number of symptoms give rise to the moniker “zombie deer disease,” which is given to chronic wasting disease (CWD). These include stumbling, listlessness, drooling, and fast weight loss in deer, elk, and moose. There are no known cures or vaccines for the lethal disease, which weakens the bodies, spines, and brains of the animals it infects.
Human instances of CWD have not been reported. Even the possibility that CWD might infect humans has not been conclusively demonstrated, according to some scientists. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the disease has been identified in deer, elk, and moose in 251 counties in 24 U.S. states, primarily in the Midwest, as of January 2019. It was also discovered.
It has also been discovered in two Canadian provinces. Despite the fact that CWD is still relatively uncommon, the CDC reports that rates of infection among deer and elk in regions with the disease’s highest prevalence range from 10 to 25 percent, and rates can be particularly high among confined deer. In Colorado, CWD was initially discovered in the late 1960s.
The CDC notes on its website that the most likely way for CWD to infect humans is through eating sick deer and elk. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of the Interior, 11.5 million Americans participate in hunting; it is unknown how many of them consume the animals they harvest.
READ ABOUT: How to Cope with Stress
The human equivalent of mad cow disease, or CWD, is connected to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which researchers believe can be spread to people by the consumption of infected meat. When it comes to animals, CWD spreads by contact with tainted food, water, or bodily fluids or tissues.
Earlier this month, Minnesota lawmakers received a warning about the potential threat of CWD from Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, according to NBC News.
In the coming years, Osterholm predicted that there will be documented examples of chronic wasting disease in humans linked to eating tainted meat. “It’s possible that there will be a significant number of human cases, and they won’t be isolated incidents.”
The CDC advises hunters and anybody who consume deer, elk, or moose to be aware of CWD hotspots and to abide by local public health regulations.
The CDC “strongly advises that hunters strongly consider having those animals tested before consuming the meat” if CWD has been reported in a certain area. The CDC advises hunters to wear gloves while handling carcasses, prevent prolonged contact with the animal’s organs, and steer clear of shooting, handling, or consuming meat from animals that appear sick or were discovered dead.
READ ABOUT: How to Cope with Stress
0 Comments