Two new cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) have been found in north-central Missouri. The Missouri Department of Conservation says one was found in an adult buck harvested by a hunter in Macon County and the other in an adult doe taken by a hunter in Adair County. Those two cases bring the total of Missouri free-ranging deer that have tested positive for CWD to five this hunting season and 15 overall. The total cases of CWD in Missouri captive and free-range deer is 26.
According to the Department of Conservation, CWD was first found in Missouri in 2010 at a private hunting preserve in Linn County. All cases so far have been limited to Macon, Linn and Adair Counties.
MDC worked with hunters, landowners, taxidermists and meat processors to collect tissue samples from adult deer harvested in north-central Missouri during the fall archery and firearms deer seasons. Tissues samples were also collected from deer in other areas of the state.
The counties where the disease has been found are part of a six-county CWD Containment Zone. The others in the zone are Chariton, Randolph and Sullivan.
Chronic Wasting Disease infects only deer and other members of the deer family by causing degeneration of the brain, according to the Conservation Department. There is no cure or vaccine for CWD, and the disease is 100 percent fatal. Officials say there is no evidence the disease can affect humans.
