Below is a news release from the Pennsylvania Game Commission
Following a press conference on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture would like to make clear that decades of research have provided abundant evidence that prions, or misfolded proteins, are the infectious agent of CWD, and this hypothesis is accepted by state agriculture and wildlife agencies across the U.S.
While alternative theories exist, they have not been thoroughly researched.
Meanwhile, CWD remains a serious threat to Pennsylvania’s deer and deer hunting.
In some areas of the state where CWD exists, the always-fatal, incurable brain disease affecting deer and elk has been detected with increasing regularity.
“By intensively monitoring for CWD statewide and acting to limit the disease’s spread where it exists, the Game Commission remains committed to fighting CWD and protecting the hunting opportunity our largely healthy and abundant deer herd provide,” said Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management Director Matthew Schnupp. “Through ongoing research, our options for best managing CWD might someday expand, and we will always incorporate the best available science in our disease response.”
(Photo source: Pennsylvania Game Commission)