With deer hunting underway in Ohio, state officials are warning hunters not to eat animals that show signs of a rare disease that has found its way into the state for the first time.
Chronic Wasting Disease, which is similar to mad-cow disease except that it hasn’t been shown to infect humans, was found in a deer in northeastern Ohio’s Holmes County.
The deer was tested at World Class Whitetails, a private hunting facility in Holmes County, about 85 miles northeast of Columbus near Millersburg, said Erica Hawkins of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
That facility and 42 others across the state, including several in Holmes County, had been quietly quarantined in April after the state learned that 125 potentially infected deer had been transported to them from Pennsylvania.
Facilities that elected to destroy their imported animals and submit samples for testing were removed from quarantine. But 21 operations chose not to destroy their imported deer, and they must remain under quarantine for five years because of the long incubation time between exposure to the disease and development of it.
“A lot of the preserves are bringing in animals from other states, other breeding operations,” Hawkins said. “These animals came into the state before the positive test results came back from Pennsylvania.”
When the first positive test in Ohio came back on Wednesday, the state decided to publicize the situation, Hawkins said.
“We don’t have any reason to suspect that it has jumped from the captive herd to the wild population,” she said.
Chronic Wasting Disease attacks the brains of infected deer, elk and moose, producing small lesions that eventually kill the animal. Sick deer will lose weight, salivate excessively, increase their drinking and urination, and generally act abnormally, stumbling, trembling and allowing humans or other predators to get unusually close.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website says that “several epidemiologic studies provide evidence that, to date, CWD has not been transmitted to humans.”
New studies are underway to follow humans who might be at higher risk of eating infected meat, but because of the long time between exposure and development of the disease, “many years of continued follow-up are required to be able to say what the risk, if any, of CWD is to humans,” The CDC says.
During the 2013-14 season, Ohio hunters killed 191,459 deer, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. The state ranks fifth nationally in resident hunters and 11th in the number of jobs associated with hunting-related industries, ODNR says.
To minimize the risk of contact with Chronic Wasting Disease in Ohio or elsewhere, hunters should take precautions in areas of known exposure, the CDC says. They should “avoid eating meat from deer and elk that look sick,” or have their meat tested by the state. While field-dressing a carcass, hunters should wear gloves and minimize the handling of the brain and spinal-cord tissue, the CDC says.
“The good news is it’s in a captive facility, so it is contained,” said Susie Vance, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Nevertheless, the state has launched an effort to monitor wild deer in a 6-mile radius of Millersburg through sampling the lymph nodes of dead animals, including any deer killed by vehicles.
Ohio is the 14th state to have discovered Chronic Wasting Disease in its captive deer population, Vance said. Nineteen states, including Pennsylvania, have found the disease in their wild herds — a much more serious situation because it is difficult to contain.
Archery deer hunting began in September and continues through Feb. 1. The youth gun season is Nov. 22-23, gun season for hunters of all ages is Dec. 1-7, and the muzzleloader season is Jan. 2-5.
ODNR is asking hunters or residents who suspect they have identified an infected deer to contact the department at 1-800-WILDLIFE (945-3543), or contact their local Division of Wildlife office.
bbush@dispatch.com
@ReporterBush
Chronic Wasting Disease, which is similar to mad-cow disease except that it hasn’t been shown to infect humans, was found in a deer in northeastern Ohio’s Holmes County.
The deer was tested at World Class Whitetails, a private hunting facility in Holmes County, about 85 miles northeast of Columbus near Millersburg, said Erica Hawkins of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
That facility and 42 others across the state, including several in Holmes County, had been quietly quarantined in April after the state learned that 125 potentially infected deer had been transported to them from Pennsylvania.
Facilities that elected to destroy their imported animals and submit samples for testing were removed from quarantine. But 21 operations chose not to destroy their imported deer, and they must remain under quarantine for five years because of the long incubation time between exposure to the disease and development of it.
“A lot of the preserves are bringing in animals from other states, other breeding operations,” Hawkins said. “These animals came into the state before the positive test results came back from Pennsylvania.”
When the first positive test in Ohio came back on Wednesday, the state decided to publicize the situation, Hawkins said.
“We don’t have any reason to suspect that it has jumped from the captive herd to the wild population,” she said.
Chronic Wasting Disease attacks the brains of infected deer, elk and moose, producing small lesions that eventually kill the animal. Sick deer will lose weight, salivate excessively, increase their drinking and urination, and generally act abnormally, stumbling, trembling and allowing humans or other predators to get unusually close.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website says that “several epidemiologic studies provide evidence that, to date, CWD has not been transmitted to humans.”
New studies are underway to follow humans who might be at higher risk of eating infected meat, but because of the long time between exposure and development of the disease, “many years of continued follow-up are required to be able to say what the risk, if any, of CWD is to humans,” The CDC says.
During the 2013-14 season, Ohio hunters killed 191,459 deer, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. The state ranks fifth nationally in resident hunters and 11th in the number of jobs associated with hunting-related industries, ODNR says.
To minimize the risk of contact with Chronic Wasting Disease in Ohio or elsewhere, hunters should take precautions in areas of known exposure, the CDC says. They should “avoid eating meat from deer and elk that look sick,” or have their meat tested by the state. While field-dressing a carcass, hunters should wear gloves and minimize the handling of the brain and spinal-cord tissue, the CDC says.
“The good news is it’s in a captive facility, so it is contained,” said Susie Vance, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Nevertheless, the state has launched an effort to monitor wild deer in a 6-mile radius of Millersburg through sampling the lymph nodes of dead animals, including any deer killed by vehicles.
Ohio is the 14th state to have discovered Chronic Wasting Disease in its captive deer population, Vance said. Nineteen states, including Pennsylvania, have found the disease in their wild herds — a much more serious situation because it is difficult to contain.
Archery deer hunting began in September and continues through Feb. 1. The youth gun season is Nov. 22-23, gun season for hunters of all ages is Dec. 1-7, and the muzzleloader season is Jan. 2-5.
ODNR is asking hunters or residents who suspect they have identified an infected deer to contact the department at 1-800-WILDLIFE (945-3543), or contact their local Division of Wildlife office.
bbush@dispatch.com
@ReporterBush
