ALERT: CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE (CWD): POSITIVE RESULTS IN WHITETAIL DEER FARM in Kentucky?
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 14, 2024) – On Oct. 11, 2024, the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) notified the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Office of the State Veterinarian of a positive Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) test from a deceased deer at a deer farm in Breckinridge County. The farm, a participant in the state deer program, has been issued a quarantine restricting movement into or out of the facility, including live deer or deer products.
The Office of State Veterinarian established a management (5 mile radius) and surveillance (15 mile radius) zone for herds near the affected deer farm. The Office of State Veterinarian is diligently reviewing recent movement records, and all deer farms in the management and surveillance zones are under restricted movement until further order of the State Veterinarian.
The Office of State Veterinarian is implementing the Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan that was approved by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources in 2022.
FARMED CERVIDS
The Office of State Veterinarian (OSV) is currently working with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife (FW) to maintain a mandatory monitoring surveillance program for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Kentucky. OSV is responsible for the health requirements of the farmed cervids. Cervids include: deer, elk (including reindeer), moose, etc.
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE (CWD)
History of CWD
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was first recognized as a clinical disease in 1967 in Colorado. As of December 2023, CWD in free-ranging deer, elk and/or moose has been reported in at least 32 states, including Kentucky, in the continental United States, as well as four provinces in Canada.
What is CWD?
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal, neurological disease, characterized by spongy degeneration of the brain. It affects white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and has recently been confirmed in a moose. CWD belongs to a group of diseases called Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs), which includes Scrapie in sheep and goats, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (commonly known as "mad cow" disease) in cattle, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in humans. It is suspected that the agent responsible for causing TSEs is an abnormal version of the protein known as the prion. There is currently no treatment or vaccine available. There are currently live testing modalities available, generally reserved for specific indications.
For more information, please see our CWD Frequently Asked Questions under Forms and Documents.
Program Requirements
Program requirements include fencing (monitored by Kentucky Fish & Wildlife), individual animal identification, regular inventories, and testing of all animals over 12 months of age that die for any reason. State agriculture agencies are responsible for safeguarding the health of domestic livestock including alternative livestock species, such as deer and elk. When native wildlife species are farmed, the jurisdictions become more complex. Regulatory authority for farmed cervids in Kentucky lies with the State agriculture agency and the wildlife agency. Kentucky has established CWD surveillance and/or herd certification programs and import requirements for farmed cervids. Please refer to the updated cervid regulations, as well as the one-page HCP Producer document, for more information surrounding specific requirements for the program.
Farmed Deer Herds in Kentucky
Kentucky has approximately 120 farmed deer herds and about 3,350 cervids. All herds are quarterly inspected by a Kentucky Department of Agriculture inspector, as well as a yearly visit by a representative from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. An annual census and veterinarian inspection of the herd is also performed. Before applying to the KDA’s CWD Program, you must have an approved facility by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. Click here for more information.