Zombie deer disease and possibility of infecting humans
“Possibility of Animal-to-Human Jump Heightens Concern About Chronic Wasting Disease
— Most likely route for spillover would be via people who eat venison”
“The neurological disease, which is contagious, rapidly spreading, and always fatal, is caused by misfolded proteins called prions. It currently is known to infect only members of the cervid family — elk, deer, reindeer, caribou, and moose.”
“Animal disease scientists are alarmed about the rapid spread of CWD in deer. Recent researchopens in a new tab or windowshows that the barrier to a spillover into humans is less formidable than previously believed and that the prions causing the disease may be evolving to become more able to infect humans.”
“The bottom-line message is we are quite unprepared,” Osterholm said. “If we saw a spillover right now, we would be in free fall. There are no contingency plans for what to do or how to follow up.”
“Prions behave very differently than viruses and bacteria and are virtually impossible to eradicate.”
“A major problem with determining whether CWD has affected humans is that it has a long latency. People who consume prions may not contract the resulting disease until many years later”
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/generalinfectiousdisease/108659
The Prepared Support - February 5, 2024
Eric