Twenty-four new cases of Chronic Wasting Disease or CWD were found this year in the state of Missouri, including five in the area counties. The Missouri Department of Conservation tested 27,000 tissue samples submitted this season from hunter-harvested deer. The MDC says the 24 cases were found in the following counties: 5 in Linn, 2 in Adair, 5 in Franklin, 2 in Macon, 2 in Perry, 5 in Ste. Genevieve, 2 in Stone, and 1 in Taney.
CWD is a deadly disease for white-tailed deer and other members of the deer family. The CWD sampling and testing efforts are to find cases early so the Department can limit the spread of the disease.
MDC officials say the 24 new cases are not good news, but the new cases were found in counties already know to have animals that tested positive.
Free voluntary sampling continues through the end of the deer season on January 15th. Get more information at mdc.mo.gov/cwd under “Voluntary CWD Sampling All Season.”
