Arts & Entertainment
The New West: Prominent public health official shares frank thoughts about Chronic Wasting Disease
Published
4 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Todd Wilkinson EBS ENVIRONMENTAL COLUMNIST
You may have seen Michael Osterholm’s name in a national newspaper because, as a global disease expert, he has investigated things like the deadly Ebola virus, and reporters have recently solicited his opinion about the rapidly-spreading coronavirus that started in China.
In 2019 I had a conversation with Osterholm, who is based at the University of Minnesota, about another zoonotic menace, one that is the deer-family equivalent of mad cow disease and is quickly exerting a presence in wildlife throughout the Northern Rockies: chronic wasting disease.
In February 2019 he offered this grave observation about mad cow to the Minnesota state legislature:
“It is my best professional judgment based on my public health experience and the risk of [mad cow disease] transmission to humans in the 1980s and 1990s and my extensive review and evaluation of laboratory research studies … that it is probable that human cases associated with the consumption of contaminated meat will be documented in the years ahead. It is possible that the number of human cases will be substantial and will not be isolated events.”
Here are some excerpts from our conversation:
Todd Wilkinson: What caused you to deliver such a forceful warning before the Minnesota legislature?
Michael Osterholm: Several things. First of all, it’s one of those things, like so many issues, that I could work 28-hours-a-day on. I’ve been very involved with influenza outbreaks and other diseases, like Ebola, and traveling 200,000-miles-a-year for work. CWD should be regarded on the same scale of other diseases we are worried about.
I just became more and more unsettled about this issue. I had been involved with providing professional input in the 1980s on BSE [bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease]. And at that time had expressed my severe concern about this idea that there was this magical disease barrier existing between species that would keep everything from coming to humans. It was something I thought was naïve and my suspicions were validated.
At the time, some said you were just a scare monger, that kind of person who just needlessly upsets people. And, of course, the story’s been told since that time. I wasn’t alone and our worries were indeed justified.
TW: What’s needed?
MO: We ought to aggressively be developing testing methods that can be done on site, [and are] reliable, cheap and effective.
The last thing we want to have happen is for hunting as a tradition and a management tool to be reduced. Right now there are 200,000 white-tailed-deer-a-year that are harvested in Minnesota and if we suddenly saw the white-tailed deer hunting experience change, that’s only going to increase the problem on the wildlife side because of the animal population density [and having higher concentrations of animals with CWD coming in closer contact with uninfected animals]. However, we need to face the facts and make sure people are protected by providing the best available knowledge.
TW: You have called attention to the risk of CWD animals passing through meat processing facilities.
MO: Yes, the second thing I’m very concerned about, and it comes from some of my foodborne disease work … is what the hell happens when you introduce CWD into meat processing environments? If somebody’s deer or elk comes through and it’s contaminated, what does that mean for everything else behind it? I’ll tell you: it’s not good because it’s not easy to sterilize and decontaminate places and surfaces that become tainted with prions.
TW: You’ve taken your concern a step further, emphasizing your fear that with potential prion mutation, CWD could cross a species barrier from cervids to domestic livestock and then reach people.
MO: Something that’s been very concerning is the lack of national leadership, whether it be on the wildlife side or on the agricultural side. Clearly, I think we have some serious challenges here with what it means to the bovine world.
Is there going to be potential cross exposure [to cattle] and would that happen? The ag people can’t just back out of the conversation about it potentially reaching livestock and, of course, public health officials need to be paying attention to the human side. The World Health Organization and CDC advisement to not eat suspected meat is limp compared to what we need. A lot of CWD-infected deer and elk may not look sick.
I’m not telling anybody this [CWD] is going to be a BSE crisis but I am suggesting that it could be. Why do we want to experiment with ourselves to find out?
TW: As CWD continues to spread, what are your priorities?
MO: I absolutely have no doubt that animal-to-animal transmission is really important. How much of that is from direct saliva contact is really unclear. I think the human exposure question involves really, for me, the venison and game meat consumption issue. The extent of using your own utensils and knives in butchering deer or elk and bringing it back to the kitchen raises serious questions about contamination. And, in terms of people coming in contact with lymph nodes and other tissue of infected animals, we just don’t know the degree of risk but that doesn’t mean risk doesn’t exist.
TW: We know that there are different prion strains and mutations that can occur. Is your concern that it’s only a matter of time?
MO: That’s part of it; actually, it’s all of it. Look at the accelerating number of cases. This is out of control in the wildlife populations.
Todd Wilkinson is the founder of Bozeman-based “Mountain Journal” and is a correspondent for “National Geographic.” He’s also the author of “Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek” about famous Jackson Hole grizzly bear 399.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Everyone is invited to join us in celebrating 2 years of arts education in the BASE Art Studio with us! Take a tour
Event Details
Everyone is invited to join us in celebrating 2 years of arts education in the BASE Art Studio with us! Take a tour of the studio, meet our instructors, and meet other artists of all levels in our community. We’ll be getting creative and you’ll have the chance to make your very own artful button pin.
Stick around for our Volunteer Appreciation and Social beginning at 6:30 p.m.!
Time
(Thursday) 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Location
BASE
285 Simkins Dr