Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) affects the brain and nervous system in members of the family Cervidae, such as deer, sika, elk or moose. Delaware has now confirmed its first case of CWD in a wild white-tailed deer.

State wildlife officials are responding under Delaware’s Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan and taking steps to better understand how far the disease may have spread and help slow it down.

Important Links and Contacts

Report sick, injured or dead free-ranging deer using the Sick and Injured Wildlife Reporting Form.

For captive, farmed cervids, contact the Office of the State Veterinarian at the Delaware Department of Agriculture at DEanimalhealth@delaware.gov or 302-698-4500.

For more information on Chronic Wasting Disease, please contact DNREC Wildlife Biologist Sam Millman, at Sam.Millman@delaware.gov or 302-735-8676.

Learn more about Chronic Wasting Disease

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

The Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The National Deer Association (NDA)

Overview

Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD, is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) disease affecting cervid species, including deer, elk and moose, caused by infectious, misfolded prions. These prions misfold neighboring proteins to create holes that lead to neurological dysfunction and ultimately death by secondary causes (e.g., starvation, pneumonia, drowning, etc.).

CWD has been reported to occur in cervid species six months of age and older. Scientists believe that CWD prions are spread between animals through bodily fluids, including saliva, blood, urine and feces, which can occur through direct contact or indirectly through contamination of soil, food or water.

CWD can also be transmitted from doe to fawn in utero or during birth and has been found in buck semen.

Currently, no treatments or vaccines are available. All deer that contract CWD will get sick and die.

CWD belongs to the same family of prion diseases as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as “mad cow” disease in cattle, scrapie in sheep, Kuru, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in humans.

Although there is no known transmission of CWD to humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people who harvest deer — such as white-tailed, red, sika or mule deer — and elk or moose from areas where CWD has been confirmed test their animals for CWD before consuming the meat.

While eating muscle meat from deer has not been shown to pose a risk to human health, out of an abundance of caution, deer meat should not be consumed if the animal tests positive for CWD.

Surveillance in Delaware

Since 2003, the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife has conducted annual CWD surveillance, with random sampling of hunter-harvested deer statewide.

The Division tests at least 600 random samples across the state each year. There is a 99% chance of detecting the disease if it exists in more than 1% of the harvested deer population. Over the past 23 years, the Division has tested 12,938 samples.

In addition to random sampling of harvested deer, the Division also tests sick deer that show signs associated with CWD.

DNREC has now activated its Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan, which includes establishing a management area around the first detection, cluster sampling in and around that area and additional monitoring to look for other cases.

Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is believed to spread through direct contact among members of the Cervidae family — deer, elk or moose — or indirectly through the environment.

Because CWD has a long incubation period, deer may not show signs for over a year but can still transmit the disease to other deer. A deer may appear healthy while still carrying and spreading the disease.

Signs of CWD can overlap with other diseases, so CWD cannot be confirmed just by looking at an animal. Testing is required. Signs that may be seen in the late stages of disease include:

• Dramatic weight loss
• Poor coordination
• Drooping ears and head
• Excessive drooling
• Difficulty swallowing
• Frequent urination
• Loss of fear of humans
• Reluctance to move, often standing with a widened stance
• Remaining in an area with water sources due to excessive thirst

Often, once signs of CWD appear, the infected deer dies from secondary causes such as predators, vehicle strikes or other diseases.

Recognizing Chronic Wasting Disease

The reality is that most deer infected with Chronic Wasting Disease show no visible signs during the early and middle stages of the disease. Clinical symptoms typically do not appear until the late stages of prion incubation, meaning an infected deer can appear healthy long before signs such as weight loss, abnormal behavior or poor body condition become noticeable.

Research and Caution

The causes of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy diseases like CWD are believed to be abnormal, protein-based infectious particles called prions. Prions are closely related to cell proteins typically produced in the central nervous system and lymphatic system. However, prions are abnormal cell proteins that cannot be broken down by the body’s enzyme system.

When prions accumulate in nerve tissue, they kill nerve cells and lead to loss of normal neurological function. The damage to the brain’s nervous system tissue creates spaces that can be seen under a microscope.

Ongoing research will offer more insight into the effects of CWD on wildlife and human health. Meanwhile, Delaware stays vigilant, ensuring local deer populations are closely monitored, and plans are in place to control the disease.

Avoiding the Spread of CWD

Delaware has rules to reduce the risk of CWD spreading through carcass movement and other activities.

In general, whole carcasses from areas where CWD has been found should not be brought into Delaware, and whole carcasses should not be moved out of Delaware’s CWD Management Area.

However, Delaware does allow the following low-risk deer, elk and moose parts to be imported into the state:

• Boned-out meat that is cut and wrapped
• Quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or skull attached
• Hides or capes with no skull attached
• Clean (no meat or tissue attached) skull plates with antlers attached
• Antlers (with no meat or tissue attached)
• Upper canine teeth (buglers, whistlers, or ivories)
• Finished taxidermy products

In Our Region

Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia have confirmed the presence of CWD. However, through regional agency cooperation, only the specific counties within a neighboring state’s disease management zone are subject to the import restrictions.

Deer harvested from the counties listed below are subject to the same import restrictions described above. If the county of harvest is not listed below, hunters may bring a harvested carcass to Delaware.

Chronic Wasting Disease is documented in the following counties in neighboring states, and are subject to the import restrictions.

Maryland

Allegany, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery and Washington counties.

Pennsylvania

Adams, Armstrong, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Elk, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Schuykill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Union, Warren, Wayne, Westmoreland Counties and York counties.

Virginia

Arlington, Carroll, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Floyd, Franklin, Frederick, Loudoun, Madison, Montgomery, Orange, Page, Patrick, Prince William, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Roanoke, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Warren and Wythe counties.

West Virginia

Berkley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, Morgan and Pendleton counties.

Precautions for Hunters

Due to the long incubation period of CWD and the movement of deer herds, an area classified as non-CWD may still have the disease present, but not yet detected. Follow precautions for the safe handling, field-dressing and home processing of venison.

If you hunt deer, elk, moose or other cervids in other states or Canadian provinces, particularly those in which CWD has been detected, check with the local fish and wildlife agencies for special regulations or specific advice for hunters.

When Hunting

Use synthetic instead of natural deer urine.

Do not pour natural deer urine on the ground; use a scent station that can be removed.

Avoid shooting or handling a deer that appears sick or acts strangely. Report sick or injured deer to the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife.

When Field-dressing or Handling Meat

Wear latex or rubber gloves when field-dressing and/or butchering deer.

Do not use household knives or utensils.

Remove all internal organs.

Avoid cutting through bones or the spinal column (backbone).

Bone the deer (remove the meat from the bones and spinal column).

If you saw off antlers or through a bone, or if you sever the spinal column with a knife, disinfect your tools before using them for butchering or removing meat.

Remove all fat, membranes and connective tissue from the meat. Normal field-dressing and trimming of fat from meat will remove lymph nodes.

Never eat a deer’s brain, eyeballs, spinal cord, spleen or lymph nodes.

Always wash hands and instruments thoroughly after dressing and processing game meat.

Use a 50/50 solution of household chlorine bleach and water to disinfect tools and work surfaces. Wipe down counters and let them dry. Soak knives for one hour.

For Commercial Processing

If your deer is processed commercially, consider asking to have your animal processed individually. This ensures that you are only getting meat from your animal. If your animal tests positive for CWD, do not eat meat from that animal.

Proper Carcass Disposal

Do not dump any portion of a carcass on the ground where it can come in contact with other deer or infectious prions could get into the soil. Dispose of your deer carcass waste in an appropriate landfill, double-bagged or in a carcass bag, where the chance of deer coming across the carcass is minimal.