
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been confirmed in Jefferson County, West Virginia, for the first time, according to a West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) news release.
Four white-tailed deer tested positive for the fatal neurodegenerative disease. Jefferson County, the easternmost county in the state, is the first previously unaffected West Virginia County to detect CWD since 2018. Cases have also been identified in Berkeley, Mineral, Morgan, and Hampshire counties.
"Jefferson County has been part of the CWD containment area for several years because it lies adjacent to CWD-positive counties in West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland," Paul Johansen, MS, WVDNR Wildlife Resources Section chief, said in the release. "While there is no evidence that CWD is harmful to humans, it is important that hunters abide by the carcass transport regulations to ensure the proper wildlife management and reduce risk factors that may affect our deer population."
The WVDNR has placed restrictions on baiting and feeding deer and on transporting high-risk carcass parts from the CWD containment area.
Ongoing threat to cervids
Found in deer and other cervids such as moose and elk, the infectious illness is caused by misfolded proteins known as prions. The disease poses an ongoing threat to cervids, given that CWD can spread from animal to animal and through environmental contamination. No human cases have been reported, but health officials urge people to avoid eating the meat of infected animals and to take precautions when field-dressing or butchering cervids.