Pennsylvania Game News - May 2013 - 39

CWD found in Blair and Bedford counties
THE	 Pennsylvania	 Game	 Commission	 confirmed	 three	 hunterkilled	 deer	 taken	 in	 the	 2012	
general	firearms	deer	season	have	
tested	positive	for	Chronic	Wasting	 Disease	 (CWD).	 Two	 were	
from	Blair	County;	the	other	was	
from	Bedford	County.
“These	 are	 the	 first	 positive	
cases	of	CWD	in	free-ranging	deer	
in	Pennsylvania,”	confirmed	Game	
Commission	 Executive	 Director	
Carl	 G.	 Roe.	 “The	 disease	 was	
first	documented	in	early	October,	
2012,	by	the	state	Department	of	
Agriculture	in	a	captive	deer	on	an	
Adams	County	deer	farm.”
The	 three	 hunter-killed	 deer	
tissue	 samples	 were	 collected	 by	
Game	Commission	personnel	during	annual	deer	aging	field	checks	
during	the	general	firearms	season	
for	deer.	The	samples	were	tested	
and	 identified	 as	 suspect	 positive	
by	the	Department	of	Agriculture	
as	part	of	an	ongoing	annual	statewide	CWD	surveillance	program.	
The	tissue	samples	were	confirmed	
to	be	positive	for	CWD	by	the	National	Veterinary	Services	Laboratories	in	Ames,	Iowa,	as	part	of	an	
established	verification	process.
“The	three	CWD-positives	were	
part	of	2,945	deer	sampled	for	the	
disease	statewide,”	explained	Roe.	
Through	 February,	 test	 results	
from	1,500	samples	were	received,	
including	 these	 three	 positive	
samples.
An	additional	2,089	deer	were	
sampled	 and	 tested	 from	 within	
the	 designated	 Disease	 Management	 Area	 in	 Adams	 and	 York	
MAY 2013	

counties;	CWD	was	not	detected	
in	any	of	those	deer	samples.	Since	
1998,	the	Game	Commission	has	
gathered	and	submitted	more	than	
43,000	samples	from	wild	deer	and	
elk	 for	 CWD	 testing.	 The	 three	
CWD-positives	are	the	first	to	be	
confirmed	in	15	years	of	testing.
“Pennsylvania	 has	 an	 active	
Interagency	 CWD	 Task	 Force	
and	 a	 dynamic	 CWD	 surveillance	 program,”	 Roe	 noted,	 “and	
we	 will	 continue	 to	 be	 vigilant	
and	initiate	steps	included	in	the	
Commonwealth’s	CWD	Response	
Plan.	 We	 will	 continue	 to	 work	
diligently	with	the	Department	of	
Agriculture	and	other	members	of	
the	task	force	to	better	manage	the	
threat	 of	 this	 disease.	 The	 latest	
information	and	updates	to	existing	CWD	information	can	be	accessed	on	the	Game	Commission’s	
website	 (www.pgc.state.pa.us).	
How	 these	 latest	 developments	
may	influence	hunting	regulations	
and	other	deer	policies	are	at	this	
time	still	contingent	upon	the	results	of	ongoing	testing	of	samples	
from	hunter-killed	deer,	additional	
surveillance	 and	 fieldwork,	 and	
Game	Commission	and	task	force	
deliberations.
CWD	 is	 a	 degenerative	 brain	
disease	that	affects	elk,	mule	deer	
and	white-tailed	deer.	It	is	transmitted	by	direct	animal-to-animal	
contact	through	saliva,	feces	and	
urine.	CWD	is	fatal	in	deer	and	elk,	
but	there	is	no	evidence	that	CWD	
can	be	transmitted	to	humans,	according	to	the	Centers	for	Disease	
Control	and	Prevention	and	The	
39
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us
Pennsylvania Game News - May 2013

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