Report: Additional chronic wasting disease cases confirmed in Tensas Parish

TENSAS PARISH (KTVE/KARD) -- More than two years after the chronic wasting disease was first discovered in Louisiana, approximately seven additional cases of the disease have been detected in the state by officials. The disease is a fatal illness that has afflicted deer in more than 30 states.

On Friday officials reported that there were 19 confirmed cases in Louisiana. According to reports, the disease affects the nervous systems and brains of deer, elk moose and reindeer and can lead to erratic behavior, drooling, and emaciation. Officials believe that the disease is not a threat to humans or domesticated animals.

Since 2018, biologists from Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries have been on alert for the disease after a case was located in Issaquena County, Mississippi, which is near Tensas Parish. In January 2022, the first case of the disease in Louisiana was confirmed by officials and the state joined a growing club of more than 30 states that have detected the disease, according to reports.

Officials reported that the disease is easily transmitted among deer, elk, and moose. Once the disease was discovered in Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries declared an emergency and designated a "control area" that included Tensas Parish and parts of Concordia, Franklin, and Madison parishes.

According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, hunters in the control area are prohibited from hunting over bait such as grain or salt and are forbidden to take whole deer carcasses out of the area; however, they are free to transport deboned meat or other parts of the carcass under certain conditions. Coolers were placed in areas for hunters to drop off their samples of the deer they killed for testing.

Officials have reportedly collected approximately 2,300 samples since July 2023. As of Jan. 23, five samples were confirmed positive with more expected from samples collected before Jan. 31.

According to reports, all of the positive cases have been in Tensas Parish.

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