Two more Allamakee County wild deer test positive for Chronic Wasting Disease

by Kelli Boylen
freelance writer

Two wild deer harvested during the 2014 hunting season have been confirmed as testing positive for Chronic Wasting Disease in Allamakee County, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The first case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a wild Iowa deer was confirmed in Allamakee County after testing was completed in early 2014. That wild deer was shot south of Harpers Ferry in Yellow River State Forest during the 2013 regular gun season.
The two most recent positives were harvested within a five-mile radius of the previous positive sample. One was harvested about two miles southwest of last year’s positive and the other was about three and a half miles southwest. Both hunters who harvested the deer and allowed sample testing have been contacted and the DNR has been working with the individuals for proper meat and carcass disposal.
Currently, approximately half of the 300 samples collected from the surveillance area (roughly outlined by Waterville Road, Elon Road to Lafayette Ridge, the Harpers Ferry blacktop to Highway 76 near Effigy Mounds) during the most recent deer season have been processed. Once all of the samples have been analyzed, public meetings will be scheduled in Allamakee County to discuss the results with the local public, said Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Bureau Chief Dale Garner.
“This is precisely why we stepped up our efforts to increase the number of samples in a five-mile surveillance area around where we found the positive sample in 2014. The more information we have, the better position we are going to be in to implement a strategy to slow the spread,” said Garner.
“Only with great cooperation from hunters were we able to secure over 300 samples in the area,” says Terry Haindfield, Wildlife Biologist for the DNR. “We must determine the prevalence and distribution of CWD-positive deer to determine a plan of action with the public’s input.”
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is currently working to obtain as much information as possible about the infected deer to implement its CWD response plan.
CWD is a neurological disease affecting primarily deer and elk. It is caused by an abnormal protein, called a prion, which attacks the brains of infected animals, causing them to lose weight, display abnormal behavior and lose bodily functions. It is always fatal to the infected deer. The only reliable test for CWD requires testing of lymph nodes or brain material after the animal is dead.
Anyone who observes deer acting ill is asked to contact the DNR with as much information about the deer’s location as possible. Signs to watch for include excessive salivation, thirst and urination, loss of appetite, progressive weight loss, listlessness and drooping ears and head. Deer show clinical signs of the illness 16 to 36 months after exposure, and can spread prions through urine and feces prior to showing symptoms.
The public is also asked to continue to report road-killed deer in the targeted area near Yellow River State Forest throughout the year. “It is very important to continue this sampling,” said Haindfield.
Everyone is asked to refrain from feeding or placing mineral blocks for deer in the targeted area. The risk of spreading any disease is greater when animals are concentrated in a small area.
For more information about CWD, search the Iowa DNR website. To report ill or roadkill deer in the targeted area, call Haindfield at 563-380-3422 or 563-546-7960.
There is currently no evidence that humans contract CWD by eating venison. “Though many observers try to compare CWD with ‘mad cow disease,’ the diseases are distinctly different,” said Haindfield. “Currently, there is no evidence that CWD poses a risk for humans; however, public health officials recommend that human exposure to the CWD infectious agent be avoided as they continue to evaluate any potential health risk.”
The World Health Organization has reviewed available scientific information and concluded that currently there is no evidence that CWD can be transmitted to humans. Nonetheless, health and wildlife officials advise caution. Hunters are encouraged not to consume meat from animals known to be infected.
The World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention also recommend that hunters do not eat the brain, eyeballs or spinal cord of deer and that hunters wear protective gloves while field dressing game and boning out meat for consumption.
Prior to the positive detection in Iowa, CWD had been previously detected in every bordering state. Since 2002, the DNR has collected more than 900 samples of deer from within a five-mile radius of where the infected deer are believed to have been harvested. Statewide, approximately 57,000 wild deer have been tested since 2002.