Posted April 4, 2018 4:04 pm by Comments

By AmmoLand Editor Duncan Johnson

Chronic Wasting Disease
Chronic Wasting Disease

U.S.A.-(Ammoland.com)- Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a highly contagious, always-fatal disease that affects cervids such as deer, elk, and moose. It is difficult to detect in live animals because there is not a practical test to determine if live animals are infected. Additionally, the outward physical and behavioral signs of CWD often take several years before they are readily observable. There is no vaccine.

Research indicates that CWD can contribute to localized population declines in wild cervid populations and it is spreading, affecting wild populations in more areas in North America. It has been detected in captive and wild populations in about half of the states in the U.S. and several Canadian provinces. Attempts to eradicate the disease have failed, and efforts to control its spread through herd reduction, hunter surveillance, and other methods have had limited success.

Natural and human-caused factors are contributing to the spread of CWD. Infected animals shed disease agents called “prions” that are transmitted to healthy animals through direct contact (saliva) or by encountering shed prions in the environment. Prions are shed when an infected animal feeds, urinates, defecates, or dies and decomposes. These shed prions bind to soil and remain in …Read the Rest

Source:: AmmoLand

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