Wisconsin health officials say hunters should wear a mask while handling deer carcass
SARS-CoV-2 in white-tailed deer, Wisconsin health officials have added a few planks to their recommendations to hunters this fall, including wearing a mask when field dressing deer.
The state Department of Health Services released its updated guidance for deer hunters on Monday.
“Hunters are always encouraged to use good hygiene practices when processing animals to reduce their risk of exposure to many possible disease agents,” the agency says on its website. “Incorporating a few additional measures can also help to reduce their risk of possible exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.”
SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans.
Studies released earlier this month documented the virus in whitetails in Iowa (33% of deer tested) and Ohio (36%).
While DHS said there is no evidence wildlife, including white-tailed deer, are a source of COVID-19 illness for people in the U.S, the recent findings caused the agency to expand its recommendations to hunters in advance of the start of the gun deer hunting season Saturday.
The list includes three new measures: wearing a mask while field dressing deer; limit cutting into and handling the deer’s lungs, throat, and mouth/nasal cavity to only what is necessary (for example, submitting a head for CWD testing); and if you are immunocompromised, consider asking for assistance with carcass processing and handling.
deer both in captivity and in the wild.
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It’s not clear how deer contracted the virus, but the researchers in the Iowa and Ohio studies suggested there was spillover of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to deer with deer-to-deer transmission also occurring.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there is also no evidence people can get COVID-19 from preparing and eating game meat.
The risk of animals spreading SARS-CoV-2 to people is generally considered to be low and close contact with an infected person is still the most likely way a person would be exposed, according to DHS.