The Illinois Division of Pure Assets (IDNR) yesterday introduced that continual losing illness (CWD) has unfold to Ford County, within the northern a part of the state.
Officers confirmed {that a} wild deer exhibiting indicators of CWD examined optimistic for the deadly prion illness in mid-March. A complete of 21 counties in northern and northeastern Illinois have reported instances because it was first recognized in Winnebago County in 2002.
The IDNR stated it’s scheduling public conferences to debate the state’s CWD administration methods and reply questions.
“Present administration efforts embody encouraging hunter harvest and testing of deer in counties with confirmed instances of CWD, focused elimination in CWD an infection zones to gradual the unfold of the illness, and ongoing statewide CWD surveillance in counties the place CWD has not been detected,” officers stated in a information launch.
Hunters should not eat contaminated meat
CWD, a neurologic illness brought on by misfolded proteins known as prions, impacts cervids resembling deer, elk, moose, and reindeer. The illness poses an ongoing menace to cervids, provided that CWD can unfold from animal to animal and thru environmental contamination.
It is not recognized to contaminate people, however officers advocate that hunters not eat meat from a sick animal and use precautions when field-dressing or butchering cervids.
