The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) has confirmed a positive result for a deer tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD). Reported to the MDWFP in January, the deer from Issaquena County is the first to test positive for the disease in the state.
In an attempt to contain the spread of CWD, MDWFP immediately implemented a CWD Response Plan, which includes setting up zones to quarantine the disease, as well as implementing an Order of the Executive Director banning supplemental feeding in certain areas. Feeding bans have currently been put into place in Claiborne, Hinds, Issaquena, Sharkey, Warren and Yazoo counties. At the time of this report, 64 additional deer were tested in the area per the response plan, and results indicated those deer were not infected with the disease.
While CWD research is ongoing, some studies suggest the disease, which impacts the nervous system of infected animals, can be passed to deer, elk and moose via soil contamination from waste products, or from the saliva of infected animals.
