Maine health officials to partner with hunters for Eastern Equine Encephalitis and Chronic Wasting Disease studies

Maine  10/27/09  wmtw.com: Health officials said they will conduct a study of deer that are killed during Maine’s upcoming hunting season to see if they have been exposed to Eastern Equine Encephalitis.  Researchers will collect blood from deer brought to selected tagging stations in five southern and central Maine counties beginning Saturday. They plan to use the survey to help map how prevalent the disease may be in Maine. The virus showed up this summer in Maine horses and pheasants, as well as a llama.  The deer study will be conducted by state and federal health agencies and Maine Medical Center. The presence of EEE antibodies in deer does not affect the meat of the animal or does not indicate an infected deer, only that the deer was previously exposed to the virus.

Maine 10/23/09 maine.gov:  DEER HUNTING AND EEE  The greatest Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) risk facing hunters is exposure to mosquitoes, not handling or consuming healthy deer. Although other mammals and birds have been exposed to the EEE virus for decades, there is no evidence that direct contact with these species can infect humans. While human infection is rare, hunters should take extra precautions against EEE by using insect repellents for personal protection from bites until mosquitoes are no longer active and using protective clothing.

Hunters in interior and coastal York County, coastal Cumberland County, Kennebec, Waldo and Penobscot Counties should:

• Not handle or consume wild animals that appear sick or act abnormally, regardless of the cause. All other deer meat should be cooked thoroughly (170-180 degrees) to kill the EEE virus, should it be present, as well as any other viruses and bacteria.
• Wear heavy rubber or latex gloves when field dressing deer.
• Handle knives carefully to prevent accidental cuts.
• Minimize contact with brain or spinal tissues. Do not cut into the head of any deer that behaved abnormally even to remove the rack. When removing antlers from healthy deer, use a hand saw rather than a power saw, and always wear safety glasses.
• Bone out the carcass, keeping both the head and spine intact.
• Wash hands with soap and water after handling carcasses and before and after handling meat.
• Thoroughly sanitize equipment and work surfaces used during processing with bleach solution (1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 gallon water).
• Freezing meat will not kill the EEE virus.

The appearance of EEE in Maine horses this summer prompted the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Maine Medical Center, and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct a study during the deer hunting season to better understand the distribution of the EEE virus in Maine. Harvested deer will be examined for the presence of EEE by testing their blood for antibodies specific for this virus. Deer are widespread in the state, are susceptible to infection with the EEE virus, and should be a good sentinel of EEE virus activity. Health officials hope to use the survey to map the prevalence of the disease in the state.

Hunters should be aware that the presence of EEE in deer does not affect the meat of the animal and that finding EEE in any of the samples does not indicate an infectious deer, only that there are EEE antibodies present.

HUNTERS: KEEP CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE OUT OF MAINE  The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, along with other state agencies, is working to keep Chronic Wasting Disease out of Maine.

Chronic Wasting Disease is one of a group of diseases known as Transmissable Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs). It is known to occur in mule deer, elk, and white-tailed deer, although other cervids such as red deer, fallow deer, sika deer as well as moose, and caribou may also be susceptible.

CWD is thought to be caused by an infectious protein called a prion that upon entering the body; causes the host’s normal proteins to take on a diseased form. These prions accumulate in the brain and spinal cords, as well as lymph nodes, spleen, eye tissues, bone marrow, saliva, feces and urine in diseased deer.

CWD causes irreversible damage to brain tissues in affected animals and ultimately leads to death.

To prevent the introduction of CWD into Maine, recently passed laws now make it illegal for hunters who hunt and kill a deer, caribou, elk or moose in another state or province to transport any carcass parts that pose a risk of containing CWD prions back into Maine. Hunters may return to Maine only with boned-out meat, hardened antlers (with or without skull caps), hides without the head portion, and finished taxidermy mounts. If still attached, skull caps must be cleaned free of brain and other tissues.

It is legal for individuals to transport cervid carcasses or parts through the State of Maine if they are destined for other states, provinces, and countries. Transportation is to occur without undue delay and must use the most reasonably direct route through Maine to the final destination. Cervid carcasses or parts must be transported in a manner that is both leak-proof and that prevents their exposure to the environment.

The laws are a result of the fact that no state or province can claim to be free of CWD.

If it emerges in Maine, CWD could seriously reduce infected deer populations by lowering adult survival and de-stabilizing populations. Monitoring and control of CWD is extremely costly and would divert already scarce funding and staff resources away from other much-needed programs.

If you plan to hunt deer, caribou, moose or elk in a state/province known or suspected to harbor CWD there are some commonsense precautions you should take to avoid handling, transporting, or consuming potentially CWD-infected specimens.

The precautions include: – Do not eat the eyes, brain, spinal cord, spleen, tonsils, or lymph nodes of any deer. – Do not eat any part of a deer that appeared sick. – If your out-of-state deer is sampled for CWD testing, wait for the test results before eating the meat.

Field dressing: – Wear rubber or latex gloves while handling the carcass. – Minimize contact with the brain, spinal cord, spleen, and lymph nodes (lumps of tissue next to organs or in fat and membranes) as you work. – Use a hunting knife, not knives used at the dinner table. – Remove all internal organs for proper disposal by burial, or other means that prevents contact by live deer. – Clean knives and equipment of residue and disinfect in a 50/50 solution of household chlorine bleach and water for 1 hour.

Currently, there is a high demand for CWD testing in states known to harbor CWD. Unfortunately, existing laboratory tests for CWD are expensive, time-consuming, and they can only be performed at a small number of federally approved labs. Although our system in Maine can accommodate enough samples (less than 1,000) from farm-raised and wild deer to scientifically monitor for CWD, we are not able to routinely test hunter-killed deer in Maine at this time.

Are Urine-Based Deer Lures Safe? Until more is known about whether commercial deer lures pose a realistic risk of spreading CWD, we recommend that hunters use caution in spreading urine-based lures in the environment, and avoid placing the lures on their clothing.

Websites recommended by blog author Jerry Genesio:  Insect Repellents: Protection Times for Products that Repel Mosquitoes and Ticks – By Product Name – Website created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listing specific information on insect repellent products to help consumers make more informed decisions, to protect their health, and select insect repellent products for their specific need.

< http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/mosquitoes/mosquito-tick-product.html >

Also, the Organic Consumers Association presents information concerning the continuing controversy over use of DEET as a bug repellent. 

< http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/deet.cfm > .