The Brain Eaters or Kuru: The Science and the Sorcery
Watch the NOVA episode “The Brain Eaters or Kuru: The Science and the Sorcery” as an introduction to the epidemiology of human prion diseases such as the incubation period, signs and symptoms, treatment and modes of transmission.
Select three(3) state Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plans (linked below) and include the following questions in your discussion.
Did you know about this disease before you started this discussion project?
Are states doing enough to educate their citizens?
Did you find one states plan to be superior? Why?
Are you concerned about CWD? Why?
Texas Parks & Wildlife: Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/diseases/cwd/plan.phtml
North Dakota: Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan https://gf.nd.gov/node/5796
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02292
Mississippi Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan https://www.mdwfp.com/media/302760/2021-cwd-managenet-plan_final-september-2021.pdf
Wyoming Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan https://wgfd.wyo.gov/WGFD/media/content/PDF/Get%20Involved/CWD/Final-WGFD-CWD-Management-Plan-7-2020-with-appendices.pdf
Sample Solution
I did not know about Chronic Wasting Disease before starting this discussion project. After watching the NOVA episode “The Brain Eaters or Kuru: The Science and the Sorcery”, as well as researching three different state management plans for CWD, I have become much more aware of the potential risks associated with prion diseases. Specifically, from my research into state management plans for CWD I learned that it is a degenerative neurological disease found in deer and elk but can also infect other animals like moose and caribou; that there is no cure nor any effective treatments currently available; and that it has been detected across 24 states in America so far. This further emphasizes the importance of understanding how to properly manage CWD both in terms of preventing its spread within herds through testing programs and implementing regulations such as hunting bans which limit contact between infected populations.
