Norwegian reindeer must die for brain disease

oslo - The Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture ordered Monday to cut 2200 wild reindeer. In some animals, an infectious brain disease has been identified, the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which only recently occurred in North America and South Korea.

In order to prevent further spread of the disease, the herd that lives in the Nordfjella area between Oslo and Bergen must be killed. In Norway, the disease was first found in April 2016 at a reindeer in the mountains between Hemsedal and Laerdal. Since then, samples have been taken of 11,000 elk, reindeer, deer and other species in Norway. In addition, four more cases were positive.

How the animals have contracted the disease is not known. CWD is an infectious disease affecting the nervous system and brain, similar to BSE cow disease and scrapie in sheep. Healing is not possible, the animals die. In human beings, CWD has not yet been transferred to experts.