Image by Rainhard Wiesinger from Pixabay
The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota recently published a report explaining that improved surveillance, research, and response to chronic wasting disease from deer and other cervids could potentially spillover to other species. The list is not limited to wild game either. They are talking about farm animals (cows, lamb, etc.). Or even people.
What exactly is chronic wasting disease, what does this report entail, and how can you protect yourself and your family from chronic wasting disease now and in the future?
This, and more, as we dive into chronic wasting disease and why experts are worried.
What exactly is chronic wasting disease anyway?
The disease was first reported in Colorado in 1967. Since then, it has been identified in 34 other US states along with five other countries. Canada, Finland, Norway, South Korea, and Sweden.
The infection sounds like something you’d see out of Oregan Trail. Your party has died of dysentery. But it actually has nothing to do with digestion. It affects the neurological aspects of the body.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that chronic wasting disease is a type of prion disease.
Prions are normally occurring proteins found in the body.
Both in humans and animals.
In rare cases, the proteins behave unnaturally. These proteins can fold in ways that aren’t expected. When this happens, it results in serious symptoms that can affect the brain, spine, and eventually leads to death.
Illness is spread through contact with infected body fluids such as blood, feces, saliva, or urine.
Sounds easy enough to avoid, right?
According to the CDC, exposure can either be direct, or even indirect through soil, food, or water contamination.
So, not so much!
While chronic wasting disease is currently limited to cervids like deer, elk, and moose, appropriate agencies should be prepared for a cross-species jump to other wildlife or livestock. If that happens, it could affect humans.
“Emerging prion strains with a greater propensity for cross-species transmission could heighten these concerns,” the report said. “In addition to human health risks, [chronic wasting disease] could have far-reaching effects on the food supply, economy, global trade, and agriculture.”
This is a big deal.
A really big deal!
Awareness is important when it comes to potential cross-over diseases. Epidemiologists and experts call this, “the day after.”
Agencies monitoring animal diseases often do not have channels to communicate with agencies monitoring human diseases.
This report indicates a need to create a venue for that type of communication.
In the event there is a “the day after” situation, a collaborative effort could mean the difference between widespread disease or a quick containment should the illness hop species and infect humans directly, or indirectly through livestock and our food supply.
According to the report, current efforts are constrained by inconsistent disease surveillance between states and limited resources.
There is no human or animal vaccine for this fatal neurodegenerative disease. Containment is the only existing option.
The report indicated several gaps that contribute to vulnerabilities in the current infrastructure. And the vulnerabilities are plentiful.
Several recommendations were presented to help mitigate those risks.
For example, the report recommends funding a multiyear research program and management system to strengthen the working partnerships between wildlife managers, agricultural experts, neurologists, the research community, and human health providers.
Among other things, it also calls for a more robust outbreak to primary care physicians to improve the surveillance and reporting for prion-diseases.
While there have been no confirmed cases of human chronic wasting disease, the risk is not completely zero. The disease is related to another prion disease in animals. One that does infect people.
So while it is a theoretical risk. It is still a risk.
People who have contact with or eat meat from infected animals may become infected. This is likely the primary mode of transmission.
Additionally, studies involving monkeys suggest that consuming meat or brain tissues of infected deer or elk can also cause infection. Considering monkeys are used in studies because their bodies and systems respond similar to those of humans, the risk appears more significant.
The CDC recommends a few preventative measures to help protect yourself and your family from chronic wasting disease.
Skipping these preventative measures leaves yourself and your family vulnerable to this fatal disease.
This is not the last you will likely see about this topic in the news. Hopefully future news continues making headlines on the preventative front.
Not the tragic alternative.
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “CIDRAP Report Identifies Concerns of Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer That Has Spilled Into Other Species May Impact Human Food Supply,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)
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