Submitted by John Stauber on
Wisconsin's huge deer herd is infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD), a deadly dementia that is a mad cow-type disease in deer, filling their brains with swiss cheese-like holes and plaque. The best available scientific evidence indicates that CWD, like British mad cow disease, could infect and kill humans. Rather than learn from Britain's mistakes and take a precautionary approach, Wisconsin has launched a PR and advertising campaign to belittle human health concerns and promote hunting. This week's deer hunt is a multi-billion dollar industry and sales of licenses fund the state's Department of Natural Resources. Milwaukee Magazine tells the disturbing story of the state's PR cover-up. Wisconsin state epidemiologist James Kazmierczak says "you could live on a diet of deer brains and never get sick." While state officials give false and misleading assurances to the public, the deaths of young venison eaters from the human equivalent of CWD seems on the rise.