Frequently Asked Questions - Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in NH
(updated July 8, 2011)
- What is Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)?
- Does CWD Pose a Risk to People?
- How is CWD Transmitted Among Cervids (Members of the Deer Family)?
- Why is Fish and Game Concerned About CWD Now?
- What is Fish and Game doing about CWD?
- When was CWD first found in the U.S. and what's being done?
- What is the status of the CWD surveillance testing in N.H.?
- Where can I find more information about CWD?
- Advice to Hunters regarding CWD
What
is Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and where has it been found?
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a contagious neurological disease
that is fatal to deer, elk and moose. It is classified as a transmissible
spongiform encephalopathy or TSE and it attacks the brains of infected
animals, resulting in their becoming emaciated, exhibiting abnormal
behavior and eventually dying. Related animal diseases include scrapie,
which has been identified in sheep for over 200 years; and bovine
spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow disease," in cattle.
To date, CWD has been detected in wild or captive deer or elk in
21 states and provinces. These include Alberta, Canada; Colorado;
Illinois; Kansas; Maryland; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; New Mexico; New
York; North Dakota; Oklahoma; Saskatchewan, Canada; South Dakota; Utah; Virginia; West Virginia; Wisconsin;
and Wyoming.
Does
CWD Pose a Risk to People?
Information to date from the federal Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that people,
cattle and other livestock are resistant to transmission of CWD.
There have been no verified cases of people getting the human form
of TSE known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD or variant CJD) from
exposure to CWD, even though hunters have been taking and eating
deer and elk from the infected areas of Colorado and Wyoming for
more than 20 years. New cases of CJD continue to be investigated,
but to date, none have shown a link to CWD. While CWD is not known
to be present in New Hampshire and appears to pose no known threat
to human health, hunters can take some simple precautions to minimize
possible exposure to CWD and other common wildlife diseases (see
below).
How
is CWD Transmitted Among Cervids (Members of the Deer Family)?
What scientists believe so far is that CWD is not the result of
a virus or a bacterial agent. It appears to be caused and transmitted
via abnormal proteins called prions. These
prions appear to be infectious and while it is not known for sure,
the most likely modes of transmission are through
physical contact, (such as nose to nose), through infected feed,
or through environmental contamination, for example, through feces or urine. Abnormal prions tend to
be most concentrated in nervous system tissue such as the brain
or in lymphatic tissue such as lymph nodes in deer. Other affected
tissues and organs can include the eyes, spinal cord, tonsils, pancreas
and spleen.
Why
is Fish and Game Concerned About CWD?
If CWD gets to New Hampshire, it could affect the health and population
levels of our wild deer and moose herds and captive deer and elk
herds. CWD is a serious issue and our mission directs us to take
a stewardship role with regard to wildlife species. We care very
much about the potential impact upon native herds as well as captive
deer herds and we recognize the potential impacts on one of our
proudest traditions -- deer hunting and the economic engine it provides
for New Hampshire. It would be irresponsible of us to do nothing.
Our strongest desire is to prevent the disease from entering our
borders.
What
is Fish and Game doing about CWD?
At the present time, it seems wise to strive
for the most protective measures possible. Specific objectives for
New Hampshire include 1) disease prevention; 2) early detection;
and 3) disease control (or eradication if the disease is found in
N.H.).
To accomplish these objectives, the N.H. Fish and Game Department has been working with the N.H. Department of Agriculture, the Northeast Deer Technical Committee and federal agencies. We hope to minimize the risk of CWD entering New Hampshire by reducing the chances of a CWD-infected animal, living or dead, entering the state and possibly infecting our wild or captive deer.
N.H. Fish and Game has conducted CWD monitoring and surveillance in wild deer since 2002, and the State Agriculture Department has a testing program for captive deer and elk, so that we'll know as early as possible if CWD does get to New Hampshire. To date, CWD has not been detected here.
New Hampshire has also put various administrative rules in place to protect our wild and captive deer. These include:
- The N.H. Department of Agriculture has banned the importation of live cervids (all members of the deer family) into New Hampshire.
- In addition, N.H. Fish and Game prohibits the importation into the state of hunter-killed cervid carcasses or parts of carcasses from the 19 jurisdictions in which CWD has been detected, except for de-boned meat, antlers, antlers attached to skull caps from which all soft tissue has been removed, upper canine teeth (a.k.a. buglers, whistlers or ivories), hides or capes with no part of the head attached, and finished taxidermy mounts.
These regulations are designed to minimize the risk of New Hampshire's deer and moose being exposed to CWD through the importation of an infected animal, or the disposal of brain or nervous tissue, lymph nodes, bones and other tissue from an infected hunter killed animal. The disease agent of CWD, an abnormal protein called a prion, is very stable and could easily be spread if diseased deer parts were disposed of in our environment.
While New Hampshire works to protect wild and captive deer and wild moose, it is also important that hunters are aware of the potential risks CWD poses to our deer and that they be aware of the rules and regulations in New Hampshire and elsewhere that are designed to minimize the potential threat from CWD.
Additionally, the artificially high deer densities associated with feeding create the potential for increased spread and prevalence of CWD, both from infected feed and close contact among individual deer. Deer feeding provides limited benefits to deer but adds significantly to the risk that disease could be spread more quickly and widely. Please don't feed deer.
When was CWD first found
in the U.S. and what's being done?
Chronic wasting disease was first identified
in 1978 and remained isolated in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska
for about a decade. It is a neurological disease affecting deer
and elk and is similar to mad cow disease. However, the World Health
Organization has concluded that there is no evidence that people
can catch CWD. A nationwide effort is underway to prevent further
spread. This effort includes collecting annual samples of deer brain
or lymph node tissue to monitor populations. N.H. Fish and Game
has been collecting samples from about 400 deer each year as part of
ongoing monitoring and surveillance efforts.
What is the status of the
CWD surveillance testing in N.H.?
New Hampshire Fish and Game began a CWD
monitoring and surveillance program for wild deer in the fall
of
2002. Hunter-killed deer are sampled and tested as part of a cooperative
agreement with U.S.D.A. Veterinary Services that provides funding
for these efforts. In 2010, 405 samples were collected and submitted
to a U.S.D.A.-certified laboratory for testing. Results from the
federally certified veterinary diagnostic laboratory indicate that all samples taken during the fall 2010 hunting
season in New Hampshire tested negative for CWD. In all, 3,569 deer have been tested for CWD in New Hampshire since 2002, with none testing positive;
the
testing program will continue into the future. The N.H. Department
of Agriculture has a separate monitoring program for captive
cervids.
Where can I find more information on CWD?
The Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance has developed a website (www.cwd-info.org)
which is acting as a national clearinghouse for the most up-to-date
and accurate information on CWD. There is an abundance of information
available on that site, and it offers many links to other sites
including state and federal agencies and non-governmental organizations
that are involved with CWD management or research.
Advice
to Hunters:
Those hunting in the CWD-positive jurisdictions
(listed in the first question above) MUST follow the regulations
regarding deer, elk or moose carcass importation into New Hampshire. You can bring back ONLY deboned meat, antlers, upper canine
teeth and/or hides or capes with no part of the head attached. Antlers
attached to skull caps or canine teeth must have all soft tissue
removed. Help keep New Hampshire CWD-free -- it's the law.
If you hunt deer or elk in other states and provinces, particularly those in which CWD has been deteted, you should check with their state fish and wildlife agency to see if they have any specific advice to hunters or special regulations.
There is no need for alarm as it is unlikely that CWD is in New Hampshire. However, hunters field-dressing or butchering deer or moose should take the same precautions as they might to protect against other pathogens or diseases.
We suggest the following common-sense precautionary measures:
- Avoid shooting or handling a deer that appears sick.
- Wear rubber gloves when gutting or butchering deer.
- Never eat a deer's brain, eyeballs, spinal cord, spleen, or lymph nodes.
- Bone the deer (remove the meat from the bones and spinal column).
- Avoid cutting through bones or the spinal column.
- If you saw off antlers or through a bone, or if you severe the spinal column with a knife, be sure to disinfect those tools prior to using them for the butchering or removal of meat.
- Remove all fat, membranes and connective tissue from the meat. Note that normal field dressing and trimming of fat from meat will remove lymph nodes.
- Use a 50/50 solution of household chlorine bleach and water to disinfect tools and work surfaces.
