In a scattershot pattern that now extends from coast to coast, continental US states have been announcing new hotspots of chronic wasting disease (CWD).
The contagious and always-fatal neurodegenerative disorder infects the cervid family that includes deer, elk, moose and, in higher latitudes, reindeer. There is no vaccine or treatment.
The most recent research I heard was that human transmission was highly unlikely. It was kind of a big deal and happy news. The experiment involved high prion concentrations and human cells with a long exposure.
A few years ago, there was successful primate transfer, IIRC.
This is something I watch pretty closely.
Best controls are natural predators or heavy hunting to reduce population density.
Studies show that having healthy wild carnivores on a landscape can help weed out sick CWD-carrying elk and deer, but states in the northern Rockies have adopted policies aimed at dramatically reducing wolves, bears and mountain lions.
There’s a reason that carnivores and herbivores live in close proximity. Those humans who fail to recognize that will likely succumb to the first human cases of CWD.
On a side note I used to work on a couple of golf courses in northwestern Ontario. We had an infected moose show up early one fall and had to shut the course down because he just kept attacking trees all over the course. Didn’t eat or drink, just fucked around with trees. Scared the shit out of us.
Poor thing’s fried brain probably thought the trees were other moose or something
Scientist: “Don’t call it zombie deer disease”
Scumbag Steve Reporter: puts it right in the damn headline.
Lmao, in the article it mentions issues about global trade, food supplies and shit lol, however if this shit gets to human-spreading, that’s game over.
