GA wildlife officials ask public to watch for symptoms of fatal disease in deer

Georgia wildlife officials are asking the public to watch for symptoms in deer of a fatal disease after it was detected in Florida for the first time.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk, and moose.

There are no treatments for the disease and it always results in the death of the infected animal.

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Officials with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) say CWD has not yet been detected in Georgia.

But the department is prepared with a CWD response protocol if the disease is ever detected in Georgia.

WRD has conducted annual surveillance for CWD since 2002.

Deer infected with CWD often look completely normal.

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Over time, symptoms such as dramatic weight loss, poor body condition, subtle head tremors, and droopy head and ears may occur.

In the late stages, it is not uncommon for the animal to have excessive drooling.

If you observe a deer with any of these symptoms, please contact your local WRD Game Management Office.

CWD has not yet been known to be transmissible to humans, but the Centers for Disease Control says known CWD-positive deer should not be consumed.

You can get more information on what Georgia is doing to fight the spread at https://georgiawildlife.com/cwd.

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