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Appendix D ------ CWD Draft News Release

Chronic Wasting Disease confirmed in a Mississippi

Cervid.
JACKSON – A white-tailed deer taken on 11/11/11 near XXXXXXX in GGGGGG
County has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The deer was a AGE SEX
and was taken HOW.
This is the first time an animal in Mississippi has tested positive for the disease, which is
fatal to white-tailed deer.
CWD was first documented among captive mule deer in Colorado in 1967, and has been
confirmed in 24 states, two Canadian provinces and two foreign countries. It’s been found in
the wild in 20 states and among captive cervids in 15 states.
According to the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance, CWD affects only cervids (hoofed
animals in the cervidae family such as deer, elk and moose). Biologists believe it is
transmitted through feces, urine and saliva. Prions (abnormal cellular proteins) that carry
CWD have an incubation period of at least 16 months, and can survive for years in organic
matter such as soil and plants.
CWD affects the body’s nervous system. Once in a host’s body, prions transform normal
cellular protein into an abnormal shape that accumulates until the cell ceases to function.
Infected animals begin to lose weight, lose their appetite and develop an insatiable thirst.
They tend to stay away from herds, walk in patterns, carry their head low, salivate and grind
their teeth.

For more information regarding wildlife or hunting in Mississippi, visit our website at
www.mdwfp.com/wildlife-hunting or call us at (601) 432-2199. Follow us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/mdwfp or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDWFPonline.

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