The government of British Columbia has implemented preventative measures following the recent discovery of two deer infected with chronic wasting disease in the province’s Kootenays region.

Chronic wasting disease is a rare and fatal degenerative brain disorder that attacks the nervous system of animals in the deer family, such as deer, elk, and moose. Although Manitoba has reported previous cases of the disease—including four positive cases among more than 4,000 samples analyzed during the 2023 hunting season—the two confirmed cases are a first for B.C.

As a result, the province has announced mandatory testing for chronic wasting disease, as well as restrictions on the transport and disposal of deer, moose, elk, and caribou found as roadkill in the Kootenays region.

Although there is no direct evidence humans can contract the disease from infected animals, and there have been no prior cases among humans, there is a potential for risk. A 2022 study published by researchers in the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) highlights the prion disease’s risk of zoonotic transmission.

When speaking on the study, Dr. Sabine Gilch, associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Prion Disease Research at UCVM, said “This is the first study to show the barrier for CWD prions to infect humans is not absolute and there is an actual risk it can transmit to humans.”

Gilch specifies, “The implication is CWD in humans might be contagious and transmit from person to person.”

However, although the findings present a potential risk, more research is required to form a firm link. Lead author Dr. Samia Hannaoui stated, “This does not mean CWD is zoonotic. We’re far away from that. This study is really important to make people aware CWD in humans might be completely different from what’s expected and from other known prion diseases, and it could have the potential to transmit from human to human.”

In order to reduce the possibility of sickness or transmission, the World Health Organization and Health Canada advise against eating meat or other components of animals infected with chronic wasting disease.