by Sadly this is not hyperbole. CWD is caused by a misshaped protein. It’s shape alone makes it a biological grenade, and once it exists, it is near impossible to destroy.
Dr Cory Anderson recently earned his doctorate studying with Osterholm, focusing on pathways of CWD transmission. “We’re dealing with a disease that is invariably fatal, incurable and highly contagious. Baked into the worry is that we don’t have an effective easy way to eradicate it, neither from the animals it infects nor the environment it contaminates.”
Once an environment is infected, the pathogen is extremely hard to eradicate. It can persist for years in dirt or on surfaces, and scientists report it is resistant to disinfectants, formaldehyde, radiation and incineration at 600C (1,100F).
The Alliance for Public Wildlife estimated in 2017 that 7,000 to 15,000 CWD-infected animals a year were unwittingly being eaten by humans, and that the number was expected to increase 20% annually. In Wisconsin, where testing of game meat is voluntary, Anderson and Osterholm say many thousands of people have probably eaten meat from infected deer.
