CDC UPDATE:  Deer Meat Didn't Cause Hunters' Deaths Story by Mike Snider, USA TODAY Concerns about chronic wasting disease have heightened after a case report surfaced of two hunters who developed neurological disorders and died after eating venison from a population of deer that may have been infected with "zombie deer disease." The report of the two hunters who died in 2022, presented in early April at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, did not prove the transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) from deer to humans, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio researchers wrote. However, the researchers wrote, the case "emphasizes the need for further investigation into the potential risks of consuming CWD-infected deer and its implications for public health." There have been no cases of CWD in people reported to date, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But past studies raised concerns that CWD could "pose a risk to people," the CDC has said, suggesting "it is important to prevent human exposures to CWD." Here's what to know about the hunters' deaths and the CDC's response to the report. CDC: Deer meat did not lead to hunters' illnesses, death About the 2022 report, the agency agreed with the researchers "that there is a need for careful investigation of chronic wasting disease (CWD) as a potential risk to people's’ health," CDC epidemiologist Ryan Maddox said in a statement to USA TODAY. But the CDC reviewed the 2022 cases and considered the two men's deaths as "part of the normal number of cases of CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) we see in the U.S.," he said. The men died after developing Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), which like CWD is a prion disease, a class of fatal neurological disorders, which can affect humans and animals, and usually progress rapidly and are always fatal. In prion diseases, certain proteins in the brain begin to fold abnormally, causing brain damage and other symptoms, the CDC says. "A history of hunting and/or eating venison does not mean that someone got CJD that way," Maddox said. "Many Americans hunt and even more eat venison. Some will develop sporadic CJD by chance and others will not."

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NADR is excited to roll out the all-new GMS Web App. This new GMS product offers the deer breeder/farmer the latest in technology and data capturing from the NADR database. GMS clients will be able to access their data via any platform, using any device. The following features are just a few of the many tools included in GMS! 

Herd Inventory - Track all aspects of the herd, including tags, names, state id, birth weight, sires, dams, etc. Display unlimited pictures of each animal. Record medications for each animal.

DNA Submittal & Retrieval - A few clicks, and the paperwork is ready to go via online submittal. When the specimen has been processed, retrieve the lineage and DNA information back into GMS.

GEBV/Codons - Receive and store GEBV score and Codon values from NADR for each animal. 

Lineage/Pedigree -The fully interactive lineage screen displays lineage and pictures for each animal. Optionally, you can display the GEBV score. 

Doe Line - Customizable field for each animal to record anchor doe detail to display on reports or grouping. 

Pen and Group Management - Create and assign as many pens or groups as desired. Pen and group detail included in inventory reports allows for sorting and reviewing animals by pen or group.

Designed for All Species - NADR has spent countless hours with people in the industry to develop a program that will work for all Cervid species as well as Exotics.

More to Come! – We will be rolling out more features in the coming year such as Dream Deer, Animal Transfers, Customizable Reporting, Email Notification of updates.

It will be easy to sign up and transfer your data. 

An email and link will be sent to view a demo of the GMS Web App and discuss your data.

For existing customers, we will provide instructions for locating and uploading the GMS database backup file.

NADR staff will then do all the work to get you up and running.

If you would like your farm or business featured on our business card pages, email digital pdf file or scanned image (must be readable resolution) of your business card to:

Email to Adam Helgeland here

This gives Upper Midwest members a way to reach out to one another for services and to buy or sell deer!  There will be limited pages for these card spreads, first come first serve. The overflow would be placed in the next issue and cards will be rotated each quarter.

If you have any questions please contact Kathy Giesen: 435-817-0150