|
 Chronic wasting
disease (CWD), a progressive, fatal illness of deer and elk, has
not
been found in Washington's wildlife, despite on-going testing of
hundreds
of animals. However, the disease has gained national attention after
being discovered in at least 14 other states (Montana, Wyoming, Colorado,
New Mexico, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wisconsin,
Illinois,
Minnesota, Utah, New York, and West Virginia) and the Canadian provinces
of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
There
is no scientific evidence at this time to suggest that CWD can be
transmitted from deer or elk to humans. However, much remains unknown
about the way the disease is spread and hunters may wish to take
basic precautions in dressing and handling deer and elk.
This webpage
was created as part of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's
overall effort to educate the public about chronic wasting disease.
Besides basic facts about the disease, this site includes information
on continued disease testing of Washington wild deer and elk and
links to other federal
and state websites on chronic wasting disease.
Chronic wasting disease has not been found in Washington, and there currently
is no scientific evidence of CWD being transmitted from deer or elk to humans.
However, hunters who wish to take additional precautions may choose to avoid
consuming the brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, pancreas, or lymph nodes of harvested
deer and elk, since the CWD prion accumulates in these tissues. As always, WDFW
advises hunters to avoid harvesting any animal that appears sick or is behaving
strangely, to wear rubber gloves while field dressing game, and to thoroughly
wash hands and equipment after processing carcasses. For more information on
CWD and hunting, click here.
|
