No chronic wasting disease in NY

Posted 8/21/12

ALBANY, NY —With more than 2,400 white-tailed deer tested in the 2014-15 big game season in New York State, none tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), the Department of Environmental …

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No chronic wasting disease in NY

Posted

ALBANY, NY —With more than 2,400 white-tailed deer tested in the 2014-15 big game season in New York State, none tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced. However, CWD continues to pose a potential threat to New York’s wild white-tailed deer herd.

“Preventing the introduction of CWD into New York is a high priority for DEC to ensure the health of our wild deer herd and to protect the recreational and viewing opportunities deer provide,” said Commissioner Joe Martens. “Hunters can play an important role in keeping CWD out of the state and in keeping our deer herd healthy.”

Chronic wasting disease is a highly contagious disease that affects deer, elk, moose and other members of the deer family (“cervids”). CWD is always fatal and there are no vaccines or treatment available. CWD is caused by a misfolded protein called a “prion” that can infect animals through animal-to-animal contact or via contaminated environments. The highest concentration of prions is found in the brain, lymph nodes and spinal tissues of infected animals. Infected animals shed prions in their urine, saliva and feces. Prions can bind to the soil and remain infectious for many years, if not decades.

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