Originally Posted by
Bocajnala
It's shown up pretty close to where I hunt in PA and from my understanding they have some "sharpshooters" in that area this winter shooting deer.
I don't know if that's for testing purposes or to reduce the deer numbers.
I think there's just a big gap in what the smart people know about this and what they don't. All of the info that you see is that it's terrible for deer, but shouldn't bother humans. But occasionally an article pops up, like what I linked to, that says not so fast, it might be bad news for humans.
-Jake
That is the thing, you just don't know if the information you are getting is accurate or agenda driven. There seems to be agenda driven reporting going on. Not so much lying, as omissions.
In the beginning, most of these prion diseases were linked to Scrapie in Sheep, which is fairly common. Either Scrapie managed to jump the species barrier or mutated.
Then there is the tendency to list various prion diseases as separate, between species. When common sense tells you viruses mutate all the time, why not prions also? Why not a mutation the jumps the species barrier?
Around here they squashed the link between Scrapie, MCD, CWD and other prion diseases pretty quick. But it keeps seeping back into the literature, usually a short blurb hidden in a plethora of language. Which makes me wonder if the researchers aren't trying to send a subtle message.
My conclusion is there is a monetary reason, for underreporting, hiding or spinning the science.
Some of what you read is just plain wrong. They say there are only a few reported cases in Europe, northern Belgium, and Norway. I know, as factually as possible, it has shown up in middle Germany and was linked to cross country grazing of Sheep. If you try and refer back to the incidence, it has been purged. My guess is the Sheep grazers yelled loud and long, questioned the proof, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Pretty low on my list of concerns, One it is rare in most areas and the incidence of human transmission even lower. IMO there are a lot of things more common and many likely underdiagnosed that can cause serious illness or death.
When mad cow disease was fairly prevalent in the food chain in Europe we sold a ton of wild game at premium prices (not illegal here). We still test wild Hog for radiation from Chernobyl though.
One good thing about hunting a lease, you often know most of the game on the lease (by name). You notice when one gets sick.
You have to trust somebody, the CDC is usually my go-to resource. But don't stop at the first article you find, try different paths and get other/more results.
In the grand scheme of things, drugs are the greatest threat to our children, with motor vehicles being a close second. When my kids were small I bought Mom the biggest SUV I could find, the greenies can bite me. If I even suspected my kids were doing drugs, it was good for an instantaneous ass beating. I even went so far as to scare the chit out of my kids' friends. My technique worked out well.