The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks have now confirmed the first documented case of Chronic Wasting Disease in Mississippi. Found dead from natural causes in Issaquena County on January 25, the white-tailed deer tested positive for the deadly disease on January 29 at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. Mississippi is now the 23rd state with confirmed CWD cases.
CWD is a neurodegenerative disease found in most deer species, including moose, elk, mule deer and white-tailed deer. Although the disease is always fatal, the Centers for Disease Control And Prevention have confirmed that CWD does not possess a risk to humans and there is no evidence that CWD can infect humans. However, hunters and those who consume wild game are encouraged to not consume meat from animals that are known to be infected. Hunters should also be cautious when field dressing and processing game in areas that have confirmed Chronic Wasting Disease cases.
Whitetail Deer With Confirmed Case Of CWD. Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
As part of their Chronic Wasting Disease response plan, Mississippi Department Of Wildlife officials have banned supplemental feeding in Issaquena, Claiborne, Hinds, Sharkey, Warren and Yazoo counties. MDWFP Officials are hoping to contain the deadly disease to a small area with special regulations and a newly implemented “CWD Management Zone.” If you’d like more information on the CWD Response Plan, you can read it in its entirety here.