Chronic Wasting Disease

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2009

CWD Incidences Continue -

Deer Feeding Regulated

With deer hunting season approaching and since many people like to feed wildlife during the upcoming winter months, hunters and other wildlife enthusiasts should be aware of the continuing issues with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Feeding deer is one of the issues. Deer may spread CWD at such feeding sites. CWD is a disease of deer in the Midwest which has spread across the country, says John Church, University of Illinois Extension Educator, Natural Resources, Rockford.

Incidences of CWD have risen, especially in northern Illinois, since the fall of 2002 when CWD was officially diagnosed in Boone County, which was the first time in Illinois. Prior to that time, it was found in southern Wisconsin and had been present in western states for a number of years. Much of the state's incidences of the disease have been concentrated in the Winnebago, Boone, Dekalb and McHenry County area, although isolated cases have been found elsewhere and surveys for the disease are conducted across the state.

Official counts are based on the state reporting year of July 1 to June 30. From July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009, thirty new CWD cases were confirmed in the state. All of these were found in Boone, Winnebago, Dekalb, McHenry and Ogle Counties, with one-half found within 3 miles of the Boone-Winnebago county line north of Rockford, which is the oldest and highest concentration area of the disease in Illinois. For the third year in a row, the number of identified cases declined and no new counties were identified in 2008-09.

As of June 30, 2009, Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) reported a total of 95 deer have tested positive for CWD in Boone County and 109 in Winnebago County, since the inception of the program in 2002. Since then, a total of 257 cases have been reported in Illinois in Boone, Winnebago, Ogle, McHenry, LaSalle, Stephenson and Dekalb Counties.

Although, the means of transmission between deer is not yet completely understood, it is thought that the disease can be passed between animals in a herd, so preventing feeding sites may help in reducing the spread of the disease. It may also be spread from mother to offspring.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has passed regulations as a precaution to help control the disease. This includes a ban on feeding deer, which includes salt or mineral blocks, grain feeders, etc. There are also restrictions on the importation of hunter-killed deer and elk carcasses. Illinois DNR has a special regulation fact sheet regarding deer hunting in CWD counties available at http://dnr.state.il.us/admin/08/IL1008.pdf.

More details about CWD and its affects can be found at http://dnr.state.il.us/cwd and http://agr.state.il.us/AnimalHW/cwd. The websites include the latest data, information on deer testing during hunting, and maps of the CWD incidences and other information. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources also has an excellent web site at http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/wildlife/whealth/issues/CWD. Another web site that contains information is the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance at http://www.cwd-info.org.