SUSSEX CO., Del. - The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has announced Delaware’s first case of Chronic Wasting Disease after a white-tailed deer killed in Sussex County tested positive for the disease.
Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD, is a fatal disease that attacks the brain and nervous system of deer, elk, and moose, according to DNREC, and is caused by infectious proteins called prions. Researchers say the disease is believed to spread through bodily fluids through direct contact or through contaminated soil, food, or water. There are currently no treatments or vaccines.
DNREC says CWD has never previously been found in Delaware or on Delmarva as a whole.
The white-tailed deer that tested positive was harvested by a hunter and tested as part of routine surveillance, according to DNREC. A second white-tailed deer, also harvested in Sussex County, has tested presumptive positive.
“Although there is no known transmission to humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends hunters who harvest deer, including white-tailed, red, sika, or mule, elk or moose from an area where CWD has been confirmed have their animals tested for CWD before consuming the meat,” DNREC said in a statement on Tuesday. “Meat from an animal that tests positive should not be eaten.”
DNREC has put its CWD Response Plan into effect following the confirmed case of CWD and will begin sampling deer within a five-mile radius around where the infected deer was harvested. Hunters who have harvested deer in the area may be contacted directly, DNREC says.
DNREC's CWD Management Area currently encompasses wildlife management zones 14 and 16.
Should more deer test positive, DNREC says the response area will be expanded and additional sampling will occur. Officials say they plan to hold a community meeting near the detection area to keep residents informed. During the next deer hunting season, DNREC says they will require mandatory deer check-in at wildlife health check stations and may enact new regulations to reduce the disease’s spread.
DNREC offers the following tips on slowing the spread of CWD:
-Do not move live deer.
-Do not feed, bait or provide water for wild deer.
-Dispose of carcasses from Delaware at the landfill and do not bring whole carcasses into Delaware from out of state, nor move whole carcasses outside the CWD Management Area.
-Report sick or abnormal deer using DNREC’s Sick and Injured Wildlife Reporting Form. Signs may include weight loss, poor coordination, drooping ears, drooling, difficulty swallowing and frequent urination.
-Do not shoot, handle or eat animals that look sick or act strangely.
-Avoid touching or eating meat from animals discovered dead in the environment.
-Use synthetic deer urine products instead of natural ones and avoid pouring natural deer urine on the ground.
For more information on CWD and Delaware’s response, click here.
