United States: The cases linked to a fatal illness afflicting white-tailed deer across different states of the United States have become common nowadays. Recently, the health experts have outlined that the cases linked to the infection have been commonly seen in Indiana.
Late last week, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources verified that a deer taken in LaGrange County had chronic wasting illness.
According to the reports by Joe Carroll – Indiana DNR deer biologist, which is mentioned in wane.com, a variety of White-tailed deer have been suffering from a neurological condition called Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which results in their death.
The recently reported positive case is located close to an area in Michigan where the case related to CWD has previously been identified. It is to be noted that thirty-three (33) states, including all those bordering Indiana, have reported cases of CWD in wild deer.
“CWD has been in our region for many years with positive cases in all of our surrounding states,” said Caudell.
“The public can help by reporting sightings of sick or dead deer to the DNR, as well as submitting harvested deer for testing during deer hunting season. Through increased awareness and testing, we can work to monitor CWD within Indiana’s deer population,” he added.
As CWD has earlier been detected in Michigan near the Indiana border, the chances of getting this disease in the nearby regions has increased. Therefore, Caudell assured, DNR will continue monitoring the areas for Chronic Wasting Disease.
Precautions before consuming the flesh
Before consuming the flesh, hunters and people are advised to get the deer tested. The advisory was issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after the cases related to disease witnessed an upsurge.
Additionally, the CDC advised against consuming meat from any animal that tests positive for CWD.
Recently reported death cases among deer!
The recent reports have mentioned that two (2) separate tests were done to verify that the male Indiana white-tailed deer tested positive for CWD. It is to be noted that deer-to-deer contact or contaminated settings are the two major ways that CWD spreads, and it can linger in the soil for many years. The experts also suggested that late-stage CWD patients may have gaunt appearances, unpredictable behavior, and abnormal neurological function.