- I had heard of this in my high school in one of the courses in history and evolution, just like in a short story, with no more depth knowledge or study of this scenario. I knew that Kuru, a dangerous prion ailment that is widely referred to as the “laughing sickness,” originally emerged in the Fore people of Papua New Guinea. The condition was put on by the Fore community’s customary method of cannibalism, which involved eating infectious human brain tissue while eating corpses. This condition was known as “laughing sickness” because it caused excessive laughing spells as well as stiffening of the muscles, tremors, and trouble walking.
- THREE STATES I SELECTED ARE : Texas Parks & Wildlife: Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan Links to an external site. North Dakota: Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan Links to an external site. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan – Making sure that hunters and other stakeholders receive correct information is crucial for promoting knowledge of and adherence to management policies intended to stop the spread of illness. There are several methods to raise public awareness about CWD and its effects, including: networking with experts in the field of natural resources to persuade them to organize CWD talks for local civic organizations as well as wildlife, hunting, or other conservation groups. Putting together and disseminating information to local radio, newspaper, and television media as well as pertinent companies (such as taxidermists, processors, and feed stores). The United States likewise put a ban on British cattle. This nation took immediate action, first by outlawing the import of live livestock from Great Britain in nearly all countries possibly expanding even farther than Europe. In 1989, the US outlawed the arrival of any British beef products. The Department of Agriculture began chasing down the several a lot British cows that had been that are brought to the country prior to the ban. We pulled the records concerning the 196 that we imported, had our field veterinarians identify them, find the farms where they were at present living, and then maintained to monitor and check them every six months when they would go out to look for signs. Marsh, who passed away recently, used to spend time in Paul Brown’s NIH lab. Mink are ferocious carnivores because they are fed carcasses. The concept that human skeletons were at its face was rapidly inspired by the fascination. Most infectious diseases are caused by bacteria or viruses, tiny microbes that can only be seen under the microscope, bacteria and viruses contain genetic material. Nucleic acids such as DNA, nucleic acid is the essential ingredient of life and allows organisms to reproduce. Bacteria and viruses cause disease by spreading toxins or damaging their host, but spongiform encephalopathy seemed to operate differently, unlike bacteria and viruses. They provoke little or no immune response signs that the body is fighting infection, such as antibodies. And they have another strange characteristic. In the 1960s, scientists found that radiation, which kills viruses and bacteria by destroying their genetic material, has little effect on spongiform encephalopathy.
- Saying that one state’s Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) treatment strategy is better than another would be inaccurate because each state’s plan may vary depending on its unique needs and circumstances. Across the country, CWD is a major concern for environmental organizations, and several states have created management plans to deal with the problem. These strategies could include public awareness campaigns, targeted animal killings, watching and examination programs, and testing of contaminated animals. Several nations that have CWD management plans include Texas, North Dakota, & Washington. The plans for each state have been created to handle the difficulties that come with maintaining CWD within their unique geographic boundaries and numbers of wildlife. False information could lead to unneeded panic among some people and apathy toward CWD control among hunters, landowners, and other stakeholders. Because Texas has a large percentage of privately owned land (about 95%), landowners and hunters are essential to TPWD and TAHC’s management of CWD, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is superior according to my knowledge.
- Bacteria and viruses cause disease by spreading toxins or damaging their host, but spongiform encephalopathy seemed to operate differently, unlike bacteria and viruses. They provoke little or no immune response signs that the body is fighting infection, such as antibodies. And they have another strange characteristic. In the 1960s, scientists found that radiation, which kills viruses and bacteria by destroying their genetic material, has little effect on spongiform encephalopathy. They appear to defy the rules of biology. These agents are almost immortal. Since there is currently no recognized treatment for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) or other prion disorders like Kuru, they are a matter for concern. CWD has been increasing throughout North America as well as Europe and harms deer, elk, and different cervids. The prion protein, which is responsible for the disease, has an irregular fold and can spread through bodily fluids like your saliva, stools, urine, and other biological fluids as well as contaminated groundwater and soil. To create optimal preventative and medicinal methods, further investigation is required to gain a better grasp the manner in which these diseases spread and advance. Processing of wild animal flesh should be done with caution, and it is advised to avoid consuming diseased meat. Since CWD and other parasitic illnesses can have detrimental effects regarding both animal and human health, it is crucial to be concerned about them. To create efficient safeguarding and medicinal methods, additional study is required to better understand how these diseases transmit and advance.
2.
1. Did you know about this disease before you started this discussion project?
Yes, I did know about this disease before this discussion project. The disease that is talked about in this video is Mad cow disease caused by prions seen as an epidemic among cows in England. Later a similar kind of disease was seen in humans which is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Kuru. These belonged to the same family as mad cow disease and are called Spongiform encephalopathies. These diseases riddle the brain of victims, cause hallucinations, loss of coordination, shaking uncontrollably, and becoming aggressive. The incubation period for this disease is long and there is no cure found.
2. Are states doing enough to educate their citizens?
Yes. To increase public awareness of CWD and its potential effects on wildlife and human health, states have launched educational efforts. In order to do this, they have posted information on their website, put up signs in locations where the disease is found, or given out learning materials to both hunters and the general public. To stop the spread of CWD, regulatory action has also been taken. For instance, in order to stop CWD from spreading to new places, some states have imposed limits on the movement of deer or elk carcasses from those areas where the disease is present. To keep track of the frequency of CWD in their populations of cervids, surveillance procedures are put in place. This can assist in locating the disease’s presence and enable focused prevention measures. Overall, while state-by-state attempts to educate the public about CWD may differ, it is crucial that all states take proactive measures to address this critical issue and safeguard the health of their citizenry and wildlife populations.
3. Did you find one state’s plan to be superior? Why?
The three state plans I studied are the following:
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Chronic Waste Disease Management Plan
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management Plan
- North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management Plan.
All these plans worked to address the threat of CWD in Texas, Wyoming, and North Dakota and reduce the likelihood that the disease will spread to new regions or populations, hence establishing a management strategy. Important components of the plan include:
- Surveillance: To find out if CWD is present, the Department undertakes a targeted search of wild and captive cervids. This includes testing healthy animals at random as well as animals who appear to be ill.
- Restrictions on movement: To stop the spread of CWD, the Department limits the movement of captive cervids. This includes forbidding the discharge of captive cervids into the wild and requires licenses for the importing of live and dead cervids.
- Population control: To lessen the risk of CWD spreading, the Department may carry out targeted deer culling in regions where it has been found.
- Research: The plan emphasizes the importance of ongoing research into CWD, including the disease’s transmission, biology, and treatment options.
- Public education: To raise awareness of CWD and encourage best practices to stop its spread, the Department reaches out to hunters, landowners, and the public with information and outreach programs.
- It emphasizes collaboration between various agencies and stakeholders.
Since it is a matter of opinion and depends on several variables, we are unable to choose which of the three management plans is the “best.” The precise goals and objectives of each plan, the resources available for implementation, the degree of stakeholder involvement and collaboration, and the efficiency of the suggested solutions in managing and controlling CWD are some things to take into account when evaluating these plans. It may also be helpful to take into account the outcomes of similar management plans that have been implemented in other states or regions.
4. Are you concerned about CWD? Why?
Yes. CWD, also known as Chronic Wasting Disease, is a lethal neurological condition that is contagious and belongs to the group of conditions known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. (TSEs). Other TSE disorders include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and its variation (vCJD) in humans, scrapie in sheep, feline spongiform encephalopathy (FSE) in cats, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle (“mad cow” disease). Like the other diseases in the TSE family, CWD has no known treatment and always results in death. According to research, a prion protein that repeats and spreads to other healthy proteins is what causes TSEs. (Prusiner 1998, Fryer and McLean 2011). Prions are thought to cause diseases by accumulating in the lymphoid and neurological tissues of sensitive cervids, where they finally lead to severe deterioration. (e.g., significant holes in the brain). that affects deer, elk, and other cervids. As such, we should be concerned about it. The prion protein that causes CWD slowly deteriorates the brain and nervous system of afflicted animals, causing progressive bodily condition loss, behavioral changes, and ultimately death.
CWD is an issue for several reasons:
- Although there isn’t any proof that CWD can infect people right now, several researchers have speculated that it would hypothetically be conceivable. Public health professionals advise against consuming meat from affected animals as a preventative measure.
- Affects wildlife populations and ecosystems.
- Economic Impacts on Hunting and other wildlife business.
3.
I initially did not know about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and its effects on wildlife populations and hunting industries. However, I learned that CWD is an emerging disease that affects deer, elk, moose, and other members of the deer family caused by abnormal proteins, called prions. CWD is a major concern for wildlife conservation and management efforts. It is important to prevent its spread to protect wildlife populations and local economies. It is hard to determine if states are doing enough to educate people about CWD because education and outreach levels vary widely. However, some states such as Tennessee, Washington, North Dakota, and Texas have implemented education and outreach programs to inform the public about CWD and the associated risks of the disease. Prevention and early detection are crucial in managing CWD. Because, once it becomes endemic, it is almost impossible to eliminate with current management tools. Based on my study, the city of New York successfully eradicated CWD from its wild cervid population through a robust surveillance program, early detection, and prompt implementation of emergency regulations. So, the successful management of CWD in Washington State accomplished a better job than the other states. We should be concerned about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) because it is a serious threat to deer, elk, moose, and other members of the deer family. It also has significant ecological, economic, and social impacts on them. The disease is fatal and has no known cure. The infected animals may spread the disease to other animals through saliva, urine, feces, and other bodily fluids. CWD has the potential to severely impact wildlife populations, hunting industries, and local economies that depend on these industries. It can also affect human health if humans consume infected meat, although there is currently no evidence to suggest that CWD can be transmitted to humans. Due to the new and poorly understood nature of CWD, further research and monitoring efforts are needed to develop effective management strategies.