Chronic Wasting Disease confirmed in state's deer population
Chronic wasting disease (CWD), sometimes referred to as zombie disease, has been detected for the first time in California’s deer and elk population, reported the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), which is asking hunters and outdoors enthusiast to be extra vigilante in reporting incidents and participating in disease surveillance efforts.
The state received confirmation on May 6 that samples collected from two deer, one in Madera County near Yosemite Lakes and the other in Inyo County, near Bishop.
CDFW officials said the deer in Madera County was found dead due to unknown causes and the Inyo County deer was found dead after a vehicle collided into it.
A fatal neurologic disease, CDW is found in cervid animals such as deer, elk, moose and reindeer and has been detected in free-ranging cervids from 34 states, including California, and five Canadian provinces as well as Scandinavia.
It affects the animal’s brain, causing progressive damage and eventually, death. Authorities said there is no effective treatment or vaccine to combat the disease.
There appears to be no known link between CWD and human disease; although a similar prion animal disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease in cattle, has been linked to fatal disease in humans through the consumption of infected beef. As a result the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend keeping the agents of all known prion diseases from entering the human food chain.
CDFW has been monitoring California elk and deer populations for CWD through lymph node sampling and testing since 2000; testing over 6,500 deer and elk, and has been working to increase surveillance efforts, with the help of hunters, taxidermists and meat processors since 2018.
Clinical signs of the disease include progressive weight loss, clumsy movements and lack of coordination, listlessness, drooling, excessive thirst or urination and behavioral changes, CDFW reports. Once these symptoms develop, death occurs quickly.
The disparate locations of the two detections indicates CWD has probably been present in California for some time, since the incubation period can be months to years, CDFW said.
“CWD infected animals can excrete infectious prions before clinical signs appear and these prions can persist in the environment for years, making it very difficult to prevent or control the spread once it has been introduced,” Dr. Brandon Munk, CDFW’s wildlife veterinarian, said. Munk oversees CWD surveillance and response efforts. “The public can help limit the spread of CWD by reporting any signs of illness in deer and elk populations, and hunters should strongly consider testing their harvested deer or elk.”
CDFW continues to provide surveillance, response, long-term management plans and public outreach and education through their “No Time to Waste” campaign to limit the spread. Hunters can assist in the efforts by voluntarily participating in CDFW’s statewide CWD surveillance and sampling efforts and encouraging other hunters to participate.
To report a sick deer or elk, go online to Wildlife Mortality Reporting.
To learn more and find out how to get deer and elk harvest tested, go online to Chronic Wasting Disease.
