The Perils of Prions: Chronic Wasting Disease and Wildlife Health Management with Dr. Iga Stasiak. Animal Health Insights Ep. 10, Oct. 8, 2021

When diseases affect our wildlife, they can also impact the health of domestic animals and humans. Diseases may "spillover" from wildlife to other species, can be maintained in nature, develop new and more potent strains, and can travel across provincial, territorial, and national borders, often unimpeded. Increasing stresses due to habitat loss, international trade of animals and their parts, climate change, or any of the artificial constructs our human society creates – compound the health challenges faced by the wildlife species we share this planet with. Veterinarians and wildlife biologists work together to study, monitor, learn from, and support our wildlife populations.

Dr. Iga Stasiak is a veterinarian working as a wildlife health specialist in for the Ministry of the Environment in Saskatchewan. She works on a number of initiatives in that province, and is particularly active working on management of Chronic Wasting Disease, a disease of cervids. She discusses Chronic Wasting Disease and its surveillance with us, and discusses why wildlife health and disease monitoring is such an important (but complex) undertaking. 

Links of Interest:

• Canadian Resources:
  • Chronic Wasting Disease testing and surveillance information for Saskatchewan
  • CWD Surveillance and Mapping information from Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative
  • Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance
  • CWD and Traditional Foods, Information from the Government of Canada
  • CWD testing and surveillance updates and information for Alberta
  • CWD testing and surveillance information for British Columbia
  • CWD surveillance program for Yukon
  • CWD Factsheet for NWT
  • Field Guide to Wildlife Diseases, NWT
  • CWD biological sample submission information, Manitoba
  • CWD prevention in Manitoba (2019) from a presentation to the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters
  • CWD testing and surveillance information for Ontario
  • CWD surveillance information for Quebec
• U.S. Resources:
  • The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy CWD website
  • USGS CWD Resource website