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U. S. to test 3/4 million deer/elk for chronic wasting disease
reuters | 6-26-02 | Randy Fabi

Posted on 06/28/2002 6:38:20 PM PDT by finnsheep

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration said on Wednesday it will test up to 750,000 wild deer and elk annually for a contagious, brain-wasting disease that may be spreading throughout the country.

The deadly ailment, known as chronic wasting disease (CWD), has affected nine Western and Midwestern states. Federal officials said they expect five new outbreaks each year for the next three years.

Scientists do not know whether CWD can infect humans who eat meat from diseased animals, but the World Health Organization has advised against eating venison or any part of an animal showing signs of the disease.

CWD has been found in New Mexico, Wisconsin, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska,South Dakota, Montana, Kansas and Oklahoma. The states have asked Congress and the federal government to help detect and contain the disease.

"Recent events including the recognition of the presence of CWD in free-ranging deer in Wisconsin and New Mexico ... clearly show that CWD must be dealt with on a national basis," said a new report authored by the U.S. Agriculture Department and Interior Department.

Under the federal plan, the government would take 15 existing government laboratories and upgrade them by January so they can quickly test up to 750,000 brain tissues each year for CWD.

A database will be established so federal and state agencies can monitor testing results.

Experts say federal help is badly needed to fight a mysterious and worrying disease.

"This disease is just beginning to be discovered at a national level," Mo Salman, an CWD expert at Colorado State University, said in an interview.

"We know very little about this disease and right now have very limited scientific knowledge to prevent it."

The government's 11-page plan also offered a rough outline for states to prevent CWD. It includes restricting deer and elk movement in CWD states and prohibiting the feeding of wild animals.

Earlier this month, Wisconsin launched a plan to kill an estimated 15,000 wild deer in a 361-mile area of the state.

House and Senate lawmakers have introduced legislation to improve CWD research and improve animal health laboratories. The House bill provides $27 million in emergency funding to CWD states, while the Senate bill allots up to $10 million.

CWD is part of a family of diseases that includes scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy, known as mad cow disease.

The CWD disease slowly destroys the brain and nervous system of infeted deer and elk. Signs of the illness in animals may include weight loss and listlessness.

The deadly disease was first discovered in 1967 in Colorado mule deer.

Copyright 2002, Reuters News Service


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: cwd; deer; elk; farmeddeerandelk; madcow

1 posted on 06/28/2002 6:38:20 PM PDT by finnsheep
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To: finnsheep
It would be more economical to test Congressional Democraps for "chronic waste disease".
2 posted on 06/28/2002 6:43:40 PM PDT by caisson71
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To: finnsheep
Gonna test 750,000 animals per year for CWD? Yeah, but you gotta kill them to test them, right?

What is plan "B?"
3 posted on 06/28/2002 9:24:46 PM PDT by edger
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