Second case of chronic wasting disease confirmed in Georgia
BERRIN COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) — A second deer has tested position for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Georgia, officials confirmed.
The four-and-a-half-year-old male deer was taken in Berrien County around 400 yards from the first CWD-positive deer's harvest location.
The first positive case of chronic wasting disease in Georgia was confirmed in late January by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). That sample was taken from a two-and-a-half-year-old male white-tailed deer from private property in Lanier County.
The fatal neurological disease has no current treatments or preventative vaccines. CWD affects deer, elk and moose and is caused by infectious, misfolded proteins called prions.
DNR established a management area following the first positive case which included Lanier and Berrien counties to determine how far CWD could have spread and what percent of deer in the area are positive. Since the second deer was found in Berrien County, DNR said they will continue to monitor the same management area.
The second deer was reportedly taken by a landowner permittee assisting with ongoing sampling as part of DNR's CWD response plan, a DNR press release said.
DNR said to keep prevalence low, additional deer are also harvested around each CWD detection since they are most likely to have been in contact with the positive deer.
The disease will steadily spread if left unmanaged, DNR reported.
'Our staff continues to work in collaboration with landowners and hunters in the CWD Management Area to sample for the disease. These collaborative efforts will help us manage CWD and ensure Georgia maintains healthy deer herds,' said DNR Commissioner Walter Rabon.
While there is no known transmission of CWD to humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that hunters harvesting deer, elk or moose from an area where CWD is known to be present have their animal tested. DNR said that the CDC suggests hunters do this before consuming the meat and to not consume the meat if the animal tests positive.
Here's what DNR is saying you could do to help slow the spread of CWD:
Report sick-appearing deer to the DNR's Game Management Offices at https://georgiawildlife.com/about/contact
Don't move deer waste carcass parts from one area to another, leave them where the deer was killed or end up in a landfill for household waste.
Never import live deer into Georgia. Importing live deer of any species into Georgia is illegal.
Report any importation of live deer to DNR's Law Enforcement Division (1-800-241-4113).
Debone meat, clean skull plates, remove all soft tissue from skull mounts.
Never bring whole deer carcasses or deer heads into Georgia from out of state. It is illegal.
If you witness a deer with any of these symptoms, report it to your local office:
dramatic weight loss or wasting
poor body condition
subtle head tremors
head and ear dropping
excessive drooling
For more information on Chronic Wasting Disease, visit https://georgiawildlife.com/CWD.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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