MDC reports CWD found in Franklin County

CWD (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hunter-harvested buck is first case of deadly deer disease found in Franklin County.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that an adult, male, white-tailed deer harvested by a hunter in Franklin County has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). According to MDC, this is the first case of the deadly deer disease to be found in Franklin County. Since 2012, the disease has also been detected in free-ranging deer from Adair, Cole, and Macon counties.

Chronic Wasting Disease infects only deer and other members of the deer family by causing degeneration of brain tissue, which slowly leads to death. The disease has no vaccine or cure and is 100-percent fatal.

While the Department does not expect short-term population impacts from the disease, research from other states impacted by the disease shows that CWD can have serious long-term consequences to the health of a state’s deer herd.

For more information on Chronic Wasting Disease, where else it has been found in Missouri, what hunters and other can do to help limit its spread, and MDC’s current CWD testing efforts and results, visit the Department website at mdc.mo.gov/CWD.