Chronic Wasting Disease is a palpable threat to the wildlife of western Kansas; CWD is a transmissible neurological disease of deer and elk that is 100% fatal to the animal. At this point the disease has not been passed to humans or livestock; however it is related to mad cow disease and scrapie in sheep, as well as other diseases that can be fatal across the board.
Michael Pearce of The Wichita Eagle reports, “Counties where new cases of the disease have been found are Gray, Hodgeman, Kearny, Pawnee, Meade and Scott, with one diseased deer each. Decatur, Norton and Rawlins counties in northwest Kansas each had one deer test positive from last fall’s samples. All three counties have had multiple deer test positive for chronic wasting disease in past years.”
Authorities will continue to monitor the situation and keep the public informed. For more information see the entire story here.