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Uptick in Creutzfeld-Jakob Cases Raises Questions (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

— Is chronic wasting disease in deer making the jump to humans?

MedpageToday

Cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the fatal prion disease that's closely related to "mad cow" disease, have risen in Wisconsin and nationally in recent years, .

In Wisconsin, there were six cases in 2002, but in two of the last four years, 13 cases have been reported -- which could be attributed to better surveillance, local officials said. Yet the increase tracks with data on chronic wasting disease among deer in the state, raising concerns about whether the illness is jumping from animals to humans.

Nationally, Creutzfeldt-Jakob cases rose from 260 in 2002 to 481 in 2015. The CDC attributes the increase to an aging population, increased diagnostic awareness, and more brain autopsies.

Still, a CDC official told the newspaper that the findings do raise concern about possible risk from deer hunting and venison consumption.