Chronic wasting disease found in another deer in Louisiana; 4 parishes now affected

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana Illuminator) – Another case of fatal chronic wasting disease, a fatal infection that affects animals in the deer family, has been detected in Louisiana outside of the state’s existing prevention areas.

An adult doe caught in January by a hunter in Ouachita Parish tested positive for the disease, which attacks the brains and nervous systems of deer.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Tyler Bosworth issued an emergency declaration Thursday expanding the state’s disease control area to include all of Ouachita Parish and portions of Lincoln, Jackson, Union, Morehouse, Caldwell and Richland parishes. Baiting and feeding deer are restricted within the control area in order to prevent drawing more healthy deer into infected areas.

The disease has slowly expanded into different areas of northern Louisiana after it was first identified in the state in 2022. The count of confirmed infections in Louisiana is now up to 55. One case each has been recorded in Ouachita, Catahoula and Concordia parishes, with the remainder of the cases detected in Tensas Parish.

Chronic wasting disease spreads among deer when an infected animal spreads prions, which are misfolded proteins, through their urine, saliva or feces. Healthy animals can come into contact with the prions through shared soil or water. Symptoms of a sick deer include an emaciated appearance, excessive drool and neurological issues such disorientation.

The disease isn’t known to be transmissible to humans, but institutions including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise against consuming meat from an animal known to have a chronic wasting disease infection.

Testing for chronic westing disease is done primarily through hunters who voluntarily share deer heads with state wildlife officials, who accept them for free at various drop-off locations around Louisiana.

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