MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2025
7:00 PM START
Join us for an eye-opening session on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) — and what it could mean for the safety of the meat on your plate. We’ll start with the basics: what prions are, how they cause disease, and how CWD spreads through wildlife. You’ll learn about symptoms, transmission pathways, and the role of the species barrier — and most importantly, what current science says about the potential risks to humans from eating CWD-infected meat.
Don’t miss this chance to understand the real challenges of keeping wild game safe for the table — knowledge every hunter, angler, and wild game enthusiast needs before their next meal.
Hunters are the most important tool for managing CWD – this is a straight talk Zoom Meeting (not Webinar) to encourage your questions. No registration required.
AGENDA
Introduction
What is a prion?
Prion diseases, symptoms and transmission
CWD transmission
The species barrier
CWD and the risk for humans
(Presentation only 15-20 minutes)
Q&A
Meet Jessica Russell, Response Planning Specialist
Jess has spent the majority of her career managing and planning responses for large disease and invasive pest incursions at the national level in Aotearoa New Zealand, and now in Canada. She is experienced in translating disease management theory into application and planning responses to primarily animal health threats, but also plant pests, foodborne outbreaks and adverse events. These include leading the eradication of Gumboro disease from poultry in New Zealand, planning and overseeing the response to New Zealand’s largest outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis, and developing the management research programme for the newly introduced granulate ambrosia beetle. Within Canada she has supported the Planning Epidemiology Unit of the Western High Path Avian Influenza Response with the CFIA, and supported the incursion planning to CWD in BC with the Province.