CWD creeps closer to North Carolina

Editor’s note: this is an archived article from early spring 2022. CWD was confirmed in North Carolina shortly after this article was published.

Two Virginia deer harvested close to NC border infected with CWD

The Virginia Dept. of Wildlife Resources reported last month that a deer in Floyd County tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). That deer was harvested 28 1/2 miles from the North Carolina border, alarming NCWRC officials and deer hunters statewide.

Another Virginia deer was harvested in Montgomery County, 33 miles from North Carolina’s border.

So far, CWD has not been detected in North or South Carolina. NCWRC collected 7100 deer samples since July 2021 with none testing positive for the fatal disease.

CWD is the result of abnormal proteins called prions spreading through a deer’s body and causing spongy holes in the brain. CWD is 100% fatal. No cure exists for the disease, which is only detectable after a deer’s death.

Editor’s note: this is an archived article from early spring 2022. CWD was confirmed in North Carolina shortly after this article was published.