Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has now been detected in wild deer in Virginia making Virginia the 17th state / province to have the disease in its boarders .
Chronic wasting disease has been found for the first time in a Virginia white-tailed deer, the state game department said Wednesday.
The illness is a progressive neurological disease that ultimately results in death. It affects deer, elk and moose in North America, but it can’t be transferred to livestock and isn’t believed to affect humans. Still, game department officials warn hunters to be careful when handling deer.
A hunter in Frederick County killed the affected deer in November of last year, less than a mile from the West Virginia border. Virginia joins 17 states and Canadian provinces where the illness has been found.
While on the surface this is alarming for North Carolina and the health of the deer herd we must keep this news in perspective. While now a neighboring state has CWD the reality is by all reports the disease has only expanded a mile closer to our border. The restrictions and the rules put in place seem to be working so I hope NCWRC reacts to this news in a sensible manner.
