Study: Hunters Die After Consuming CWD-Infected Venison

[thomas89]

I won't eat venison that comes from an animal that hasn't been tested. I just wish it was easier to get the tests done in a timely manner. Here in Illinois they do testing, but the whole testing regime is designed to be a source of data for the biologists and the hunter's interest in the safety of the meat takes a very distant second place. Perhaps with more public pressure for these tests they will invest in a better testing and reporting system.

Funny you mention that, a friend of mine was serving deer chops from a CWD positive county in Wisconsin, definitely made me a bit nervous until he mentioned that they were all tested clean.

Also one of the reasons I love antelope hunting, just don’t have to worry about it.

 

[thomas89]

This site and hunting social media obviously has a massive outreach within the hunting community.

What kind of light do we think Randy and the like could shine on this issue with a little blurb every episode about, “‘ope better get this one tested as CWD has been found in this area!”

 

[Sytes]

National Deer Assoc and biologists like Heffelfinger are casting skeptical shade on this report.

NDA Urges Deer Hunters to Consider New CWD Report With Caution

A new report is causing undue alarm about human health and CWD. Here is NDA's response to the situation.

deerassociation.com

BL

Just read the same in this OL article after I clicked the earlier F&S article that now routes to a website "404 not found"

Viral Articles Claim Two ‘Hunters Died After Consuming CWD-Infected Venison.’ Here’s What Really Happened

Media coverage suggesting that two hunters died after eating CWD-infected venison caused alarm on Thursday.

www.outdoorlife.com

 

[Flintlock hunter]

Not good.

Study: Hunters Die After Consuming CWD-Infected Venison

Here in Pa we have CWD in some areas. One of my old hunting partners lived in such an area, and ate LOTS of deer he shot there

He passed this year, but the cause was a tractor that overturned on him......not an infected deer on his dinner plate. IMO this is just another attempt to put a stop to deer hunting and nothing more.

 

[BrentD]

Here in Pa we have CWD in some areas. One of my old hunting partners lived in such an area, and ate LOTS of deer he shot there

He passed this year, but the cause was a tractor that overturned on him......not an infected deer on his dinner plate. IMO this is just another attempt to put a stop to deer hunting and nothing more.

That is a very bizarre attitude to have.

Sorry about your friend, however. Tractors certainly can be dangerous.

 

[MNElkNut]

I believe a lot of people want to be naysayers because of what that might mean in the future. These two cases may be nothing. Or they may be the start. It would be wise to keep an eye on it. No need to go nuclear at this point as this is most likely a coincidence, but it would be foolish to dismiss this and not keep tabs on it at least a little bit. What if another person in that camp got CJD? Would then people pay attention? A fourth? What would an outbreak of a disease that jumps species look like at the beginning? I imagine it would start like this.

I wonder if anyone has done a study on people who contracted CJD and compared those who eat wild game and those who did not?

 

[COEngineer]

Nothing sandwich. Someone that is all worried about this, please do some research and report back: How many of the reported CJD deaths in the US have been venison eaters and compare that to the % of general population that eats venison.

 

[MT_Fin]

This “study”, which isnt even a case review, simply says transmission is plausible and further study is needed. Considering they did no testing, have no findings, are missing key information, and don’t claim causation it is nothing more than clickbait disguised as science. Even stating plausibility is reaching based on the body of research when they haven’t even definitively tackled the possibility question. Unfortunately, like everything else, sensational opinions causes increased exposure which can lead to more funding and it directly undermines actual science.

More research and focus is obviously needed, and taking precautions makes sense, but stuff like that isn’t worth the time spent reading it.

Anyway, I struck out in the first round of draws, fingers crossed for MSG draw. Good luck to everyone else!

 

[Bigjay73]

In not so surprising news:

CDC: Deer meat didn't cause hunters' deaths; concerns about chronic wasting disease remain

There have been no cases of chronic wasting disease in people to date, the CDC says. But it is still investigating the potential risks.

www.usatoday.com

 

[manitou1]

That is not a study. It is wanton supposition.

All three of those guys no doubt ate strawberries, ice cream and french fries in their lifetimes.
Can we deduce that CJD was cause from eating strawberries, ice cream or french fries?

 

[FairWeather]

All the more reason to not hunt out of state. I’ll stay here, where it hasn’t spread to yet, thanks.

 

[cwdrx]

Those aren't real studies, but this is. And good timing too - just released last week. It shows that it's highly unlikely humans can get CWD. It's one study, so take it for you what you will. But it's a real study with real results.

Lack of Transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease Prions to Human Cerebral Organoids

Chronic Wasting Disease Prions

wwwnc.cdc.gov

The actual paper that was published is a bit of a heavy read - if you want the cliffs notes, I summarized it here.

 

[88man]

wait til we prove there are many different types of cwd
oh lots of neurological diseases with mis folded proteins
so much to learn

 

[Flatbrimmer]

You can go to Africa RIGHT NOW and ask them if they think they can get Ebola from eating bushmeat…. They will tell you “no, ebolas not real”

I have no doubt about it jumping to us being possible…

 

[brocksw]

Those aren't real studies, but this is. And good timing too - just released last week. It shows that it's highly unlikely humans can get CWD. It's one study, so take it for you what you will. But it's a real study with real results.

Lack of Transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease Prions to Human Cerebral Organoids

Chronic Wasting Disease Prions

wwwnc.cdc.gov

The actual paper that was published is a bit of a heavy read - if you want the cliffs notes, I summarized it here.

I’m not trying to scare folks or be some sort of alarmist. I think at this point, with what we know, it is safe to say that CWD crossing to humans is a relatively low risk. Even if it does or has, it’s a very low number of people affected by it.

But…. They said the same thing about Mad cow disease in the 80s and 90s. The British government asserted that BSE was not a threat to humans. In 1990, the British minister of agriculture, did a photo op where he ate a hamburger next to his 4 yr old daughter. Britain’s chief medical officer, said, “Beef can be eaten safely by everyone, both adults and children, including patients in hospital.”

5 years later in 1995, a 19 yr old British man died from vCJD he obtained by consuming BSE infected beef products.

Low odds, for sure. But when you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.

 

[cwdrx]

Yeah I get it, and I wouldn't bee surprised if that happened here either. It's one study and though 500 samples seems like a lot with a 0% infection rate, there are like 7 billion people on the planet, which is a lot bigger sample size. So might there be situations where it could happen? I'd believe it.

"It didn't happen in our study" is not the same as "It can never happen". I think that's a distinction worth acknowledging.

 

[Irrelevant]

Ok. Bringing this back up, as I await CWD results on my daughter's WY deer. I'm almost certain it'll be positive based on the reports from locals. I've been thinking about this for a couple of days and I can't seem to get to a "toss it out" result. But I also struggle with actually eating it.

I get in a car every day with much greater odds of dying. I drink beer and wine and sometimes both, in excess, and that's proven to be unhealthy and potentially taking years off my life.
I eat bacon, don't tell people where I'm going when I go hiking/hunting, work at a computer all day, and occasionally talk back to my wife. All things that are, or could, kill me.

Life is a series of managed risks. Am I going to base my meal choice on a statistical improbability? Do I bank my retirement on winning the PowerBall? Is it a worse choice to eat beef, which has a significantly higher likelihood of killing me than CWD has?

IDK. But I really hate tossing out deer meat.

 

[Nick87]

Ok. Bringing this back up, as I await CWD results on my daughter's WY deer. I'm almost certain it'll be positive based on the reports from locals. I've been thinking about this for a couple of days and I can't seem to get to a "toss it out" result. But I also struggle with actually eating it.

I get in a car every day with much greater odds of dying. I drink beer and wine and sometimes both, in excess, and that's proven to be unhealthy and potentially taking years off my life.
I eat bacon, don't tell people where I'm going when I go hiking/hunting, work at a computer all day, and occasionally talk back to my wife. All things that are, or could, kill me.

Life is a series of managed risks. Am I going to base my meal choice on a statistical improbability? Do I bank my retirement on winning the PowerBall? Is it a worse choice to eat beef, which has a significantly higher likelihood of killing me than CWD has?

IDK. But I really hate tossing out deer meat.

I don't like wasting anything, but I wouldn't go looking for trouble where there isn't any. That's just me. Let us know what the results are and what you decide. Fingers crossed its negative.

 

[jt13]

Ok. Bringing this back up, as I await CWD results on my daughter's WY deer. I'm almost certain it'll be positive based on the reports from locals. I've been thinking about this for a couple of days and I can't seem to get to a "toss it out" result. But I also struggle with actually eating it.

I get in a car every day with much greater odds of dying. I drink beer and wine and sometimes both, in excess, and that's proven to be unhealthy and potentially taking years off my life.
I eat bacon, don't tell people where I'm going when I go hiking/hunting, work at a computer all day, and occasionally talk back to my wife. All things that are, or could, kill me.

Life is a series of managed risks. Am I going to base my meal choice on a statistical improbability? Do I bank my retirement on winning the PowerBall? Is it a worse choice to eat beef, which has a significantly higher likelihood of killing me than CWD has?

IDK. But I really hate tossing out deer meat.

The decision to not have knowingly positive CWD meat in my house is not about me, but for the other folks in my family that may eat it. Before the wife and kids, I didn't test anything but now anything from a potentially positive-CWD area gets tested.

 

[Mallardsx2]

The hunting community is experiencing whiplash after several articles appeared on mainstream news sites this week announcing that two hunters have died after eating venison from deer with chronic wasting disease. Wildlife experts say there is no evidence to support these claims.

Full stop.

OOOOOOOOR.......are these the same team of govt experts who demanded that we get an experimental vaccine or lose our jobs? Asking for a friend. Literally. Because he lost his job because he chose not to get an experimental vaccine that was being forced upon him by the govt. You know, the vaccine that the FDA proposed not taking responsibility for its side effects for 75 years. lol

There is way too much money in CWD for it to fail and become less of a threat at this point.......