University of Minnesota launching effort to prepare for potential chronic wasting disease spillover

The University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy announced that they are launching an effort to prepare for a possible chronic wasting disease spillover from members of the deer family to humans and farm animals.

The CWD Team has enlisted 67 experts from seven countries to serve on five working groups. Their discussions will inform a living, ongoing response plan on topics such as risk communication, education and outreach for the Minnesota Legislature.

While there are no cases of CWD spreading from deer to humans and/or farm animals , the group is exploring the possibility of it happening. Diseases similar to CWD have had instances of animal to human spillover, with one of the most known instances being mad cow disease. 

CWD is not just a North American problem as countries like Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom, and South Korea have had positive CWD cases in their deer family populations.