CWD...are we over-reacting?

[ERdeerhunter]

I am not making wild satements, this is straight from the Mayo Clinic. Have you heard of them? I posted a link in my original post read their "wild statments". "Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and its variants belong to a broad group of human and animal diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). The name derives from the spongy holes, visible under a microscope, that develop in affected brain tissue. Variant CJD is linked primarily to eating beef infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the medical term for mad cow disease."-Mayo Clinic

If Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is the human equivalent of CWD, I think it's safe to say we won't be seeing an epidemic. According to the Minnesota Department of health, in 2009 CJD was responsible for .8 deaths per one million persons.

Doesn't seem to be crazy contagious, does it?

[HarleyK50]

I am just sharing information I received from a more than credible source. I will not speak to rate of transfer. That is up to mother nature. Wisconsins herd has been positive for the disease for years, but the disease also has a long incubation rate so maybe it hasnt come full circle yet; i do not know. Earlier in this thread some thought it could not spread to humans, and I was accused of making wild statements. One of the greatest Biological research facilities in the world, makes its home in our great state, and they say it can be spread to humans. I believe them.

[B. Amish]

One of the greatest Biological research facilities in the world, makes its home in our great state, and they say it can be spread to humans.

FALSE. that's not what they are saying. if that's what you interpret, then you're wrong.

[TooTallTom]

I am not making wild satements, this is straight from the Mayo Clinic. Have you heard of them? I posted a link in my original post read their "wild statments". "Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and its variants belong to a broad group of human and animal diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). The name derives from the spongy holes, visible under a microscope, that develop in affected brain tissue. Variant CJD is linked primarily to eating beef infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the medical term for mad cow disease."-Mayo Clinic

According to your quote, Mayo is saying that BSE can be transferred to humans in the form of vCJD, they don't mention CWD. They are related diseases, but not one and the same.

The odds of transmission may be tiny, maybe even impossible, but I still really don't want to see CWD where I hunt.

[honker23]

Wow I didn't know so many people were experts in the field of prion disorders. CJD, BSE, CWD all basically are the same disease process caused by prion disorders one in humans, one in cattle, one in deer. There has been transmission of BSE to humans through eating infected meat. Cows died and had spongiform encephalopathy, the people infected died and had spongiform encephalopathy. If the cow version (BSE) can be spread by eating meat and the human version (CJD) can be spread by eating infected humans, it seems safe to assume the CWD could be spread by eating infected deer. And yes you will die a horrible death that strips you of your mind and bodily functions. So again I don't feel the DNR is over reacting and I'm glad they are trying to contain and dispose of this from the MN herd.

[HarleyK50]

Thank you honker! I am just sharing what I learned from a credible biological research facility. As I previously stated BSE, CWD, CJD, Scabies, whatever you choose to call it, and its variants is a very dangerous disease, and can be transferred to humans. I implore you all to do the research yourselves. This disease cannot be eliminated by any standard sterilization procedure, if you dress an infected animal, the prions stay on your knife and can be transmitted from using the knife again. Please dont take my word for it. Read the Mayo Clinic research. If after you have done your due diligence make your own choice there is a conveinent link to there research in my first post on page one. Dont impune the credibility of the greatest biological research facility on the planet just to prove me wrong.

[swamptiger]

Here's a link to research conducted in Colorado:

http://wildlife.state.co.us/NR/rdonlyres/BF3BE1C5-5835-47E3-8737-5AA566AA5245/0/EID_CDWPotTrans.pdf

More info here:

http://wildlife.state.co.us/hunting/biggame/cwd/

Quote:

Simple Precautions Advised

Do not shoot, handle or consume any animal that appears sick; contact the Division of Wildlife in Fort Collins at (970) 472-4300 if you see or harvest an animal that appears sick.

Wear rubber gloves when field dressing and processing animals.

Bone out the meat from your animal.

Minimize the handling of brain and spinal tissues, and wash hands and instruments thoroughly after field-dressing.

Wash hands and instruments thoroughly after field dressing is completed.

Avoid consuming brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils, pancreas and lymph nodes of harvested animals. Normal field dressing, coupled with boning out a carcass, will remove most, if not all, of these body parts. Cutting away all fatty tissue will remove remaining lymph nodes.

Do not consume meat or organs from animals known to be infected with CWD.

Knives, saws and cutting table surfaces can be disinfected by soaking in a solution of 50 percent unscented household bleach and 50 percent water for an hour. Thoroughly rinse all utensils in water to remove the bleach. Afterward, allow them to air dry.

What Portions of Deer, Elk, and Moose Should Be Consumed?

Strong evidence suggests that abnormal proteins, called prions, cause chronic wasting disease in deer and elk. Research indicates that the prions naturally accumulate in certain parts of infected animals -- the brain, eyes, spinal cord, lymph nodes, tonsils, pancreas and spleen- relatively early in the course of disease, well before the animal is visibly ill. In later disease stages, abnormal prions also can accumulate in a wider variety of tissues and organs, including kidney, lung, heart, and muscle.

[Bear55]

Dont impune the credibility of the greatest biological research facility on the planet just to prove me wrong.

Easy now killer. To start I said you may be right but as of now there is ZERO information out there that CWD is transferable to humans. You can make assumptions based on studies of similar diseases but I doubt the Mayo clinic would jump to such conclusions without evidence first. Who knows maybe now that CWD landed in their back yard maybe they will take up the challenge and we can hopefully learn a lot more about this disease.

I am with most everyone, no way I am eating a CWD venison steak and if I lived in the area I would be sure to get my deer tested but I am sure as heck not going to panic and stop eating venison.

[top dog]

If you hear of anyone in the area that needs help culling the heard, let me know...I will gladly take a few days off for the good of MN deer heard...and my freezer. You have to go sometime, and the last time I checked you really don't have much say when that time is...topdog

[flipper]

I think they said all the meat has to be donated (to the food shelf I suppose)

[Musky Buck]

So 20 years back when we likely buried a CWD deer 10 feet under, it never spread that we are aware of, I'd say if you find 2 deer in a given area with CWD get busy with the sharpshooting, otherwise what a waste as CWD has possibly been known or around for 50 years now or longer. If I get a CWD deer might have to wander 25 miles away and say oh I got it here on this state land so blast away, needless slaughtering I believe if 1 is found and can't stomach the stories of does carrying fawns being blown away anymore, the way we cull the herd a goat barely can make it to 3.5 years of age, wouldn't a sick CWD goat kick the bucket and some likely have and we haven't had an epidemic yet. I'm no expert as you just read, lets have any hunter that shoots a questionable deer have it looked over by a pro. Is blasting this 900 deer in SE MN what's it's purpose again ? Wouldn't that sick 1 have already been in some form of contact prior to getting shot with other deer ? If so and there's no spread why blast. Here's the ? If buried by the hunter, no one would know squat in SE MN correct ? Unless it reoccurs. What other states are currently pounding deer in regards to CWD and if it's pen raised issue give them 5 years to abort the operation of selling world class bucks to ranches down south or elk farms where legal high fence is AOK. Heck I'd rather have those 900 tranquilized and released, watch deer 901 would've been the 2nd with CWD but they hit the quota, I hope I eat my words and they shoot 8 with CWD. I do understand the other side truly, if CWD would run rampant at some point our state would become a bigger mess than it already is, wish CWD would turn a deer blue, then we'd be dealing with an easier quarry.

[Musky Buck]

ooops, no I don't hope they get 8 more CWD deer, I just hope they can find a better alternative, who's to say some hunters haven't shot a CWD deer before and just swept it under the rug, maybe more of this is around who knows.

[PostFrontal]

Musky Buck, just a little tidbit, I guess you aren't supposed to use words like "blown away," "slaughtered," "blasting," "shoot," "shot," or God forbid "kill."

From the press releases from the DNR the politically correct thing is to now say "Depopulate" when talking about CWD.

[HandGunner]

is it that were over reacting for our own personal health as humans and being sure were okay or are we actually over reacting because we want to be sure the deer are in no harms way because of CWD?

so are we trying to pull off a swineflu thing for the deers sake?

were we as humans over reacting when mad cow and swine flu and all dat [PoorWordUsage] happened? or was it okay just because as humans we dont want any of that to harm us?

[ERdeerhunter]

is it that were over reacting for our own personal health as humans and being sure were okay or are we actually over reacting because we want to be sure the deer are in no harms way because of CWD?

so are we trying to pull off a swineflu thing for the deers sake?

were we as humans over reacting when mad cow and swine flu and all dat [PoorWordUsage] happened? or was it okay just because as humans we dont want any of that to harm us?

Good question Handgunner, what is the purpose of testing and monitoring? Are we trying to preserve human health or are we trying to preserve the whitetail population?

On the one hand, there is no evidence that it adversely effects human health. On the other hand, there is no evidence that it adversely effects the whitetail population. Which leads me to the conclusion that it is all a giant waste of time and money.

[Musky Buck]

I was just throwing out 1 side of thinking some, they should know what's best for the deer, quick ? how many other states finding CWD do what the MN DNR is doing for strategy ? Are elk taken etc. and how with a more nomadic animal how do they...........

[delcecchi]

Good question Handgunner, what is the purpose of testing and monitoring? Are we trying to preserve human health or are we trying to preserve the whitetail population?

On the one hand, there is no evidence that it adversely effects human health. On the other hand, there is no evidence that it adversely effects the whitetail population. Which leads me to the conclusion that it is all a giant waste of time and money.

Mad cow disease takes a number of years to manifest itself in humans. CWD is a similar type disease. So far there hasn't been evidence of it manifesting in humans, but there aren't many deer with it yet. It also is hard on the deer. It makes them sick after a few years.

Thus, it seems to me to be a good idea to try to slow its spread in the population, and to try to keep people from consuming infected deer.

[ERdeerhunter]

I believe the western states have been aware of CWD for nearly 40 years now. I don't think the data finding no correlation between deer and humans is new.

[jkcmj]

Excellent! The food shelf. Maybe we can continue our Mayo Clinic studies if we trace the packages, and send some of that pineIsland prime rib out! Kinda gotta ring to it! Just like New York Strip!

[kobear]

My neighbor died of Crietzfeld-whatever. Not very pretty to get holes in your brain.

Not saying thats how he got it, but they did have raw game feeds including Elk from out west. My understanding was 2 out of 3 hunting partners got Creuztfeld-Jacob, not what you would figure with 0.8 in a million odds.

The Scientists promise the raw meat eating was just a coincedence. Ask the British what they think of that!

[delcecchi]

My neighbor died of Crietzfeld-whatever. Not very pretty to get holes in your brain.

Not saying thats how he got it, but they did have raw game feeds including Elk from out west. My understanding was 2 out of 3 hunting partners got Creuztfeld-Jacob, not what you would figure with 0.8 in a million odds.

The Scientists promise the raw meat eating was just a coincedence. Ask the British what they think of that!

Here is a link to a fact sheet. It says they aren't positive that the mad cow thing is really the cause of what happened in England, although that is their best guess or theory.

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cjd/detail_cjd.htm

[delcecchi]

+1 on the sarcasm.

We may not see a dramatic decrease in deer population due to CWD because the deer are more than likely able to reproduce after they've been infected. With many deer producing twins and triplets, it still helps maintain a population, although it could be sick animals. How long should we wait before it finally takes the dramatic turn for the worse......if it isn't bad enough the way it is.

Enough of my soapbox.....Time to go hug a Redwood.

[Spike76]

I also thought they were overreacting, but now realize it could be a serious problem. Hopefully, we can all work together to get this resolved.

[HandGunner]

some ppl still think CWD is supose to kill deer right away, thats not the case its basickly a deformaty almost. hard to explain, a deer can be born with CWD but will not die it will basickly carry CWD and pass it on, CWD is a virus pretty much. we can basickly have CWD deer for the rest of our lives and still hunt them like normal but we rather not thats the point the DNR is trying to get across IMO

[DonBo]

Here's the latest, NO CWD found in any of the deer tested:

PINE ISLAND — Sharpshooters shooting deer in the Pine Island area will complete their work Friday night.

The state Department of Natural Resources brought the sharpshooters in to shoot deer so they can be tested for chronic wasting disease, and to lower numbers of deer to decrease chances of the disease spreading.

As of Monday, 716 deer a year old or older have been shot by local people, sharpshooters or found killed along roads. All were tested and all have been negative, said Lou Cornicelli, head of the Department of Natural Resources big-game coordinator and CWD response team incident commander.

In addition, nearly 400 younger deer were tested and all were negative, but they won't count in the final sample.

Final sample results should be known April 6.

The shoot began in late January after a deer shot by a bow hunter last fall near Pine Island was found positive for CWD, a disease that is fatal to deer but one that experts say has never hurt humans or cattle. The positive test was done in January and the DNR immediately put its CWD surveillance plan into action.

The department wants to get at least 900 adult deer for sampling, Cornicelli said. If it gets that many and all prove negative, statistically it means there's 99 percent probability that CWD is in less than 0.05 percent of the population, he said. The DNR estimated about 6,500 deer were within 10 miles of where the infected deer was shot.

If that's true, there's a good chance CWD was found very early and maybe can be stopped, he said. Wisconsin and other states weren't as lucky and have a much bigger problem.

Even if all are negative, the DNR has said it plans to have a special zone during this fall's hunting season that will allow more deer to be shot. There could also be restrictions on where deer can be taken before they're tested.

[Bear55]

I think the DNR is staying pretty level headed about this whole thing, at least for now. Shoot some deer and test them shoot some more and test them. Then keep a very very close eye on the area.

I am sure there will be some screaming blood murder and complain that the local herd has been decimated, but they probably still have more deer per square mile then most or all of the lotto areas in the state.