Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed In Deer At Michigan Farm

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - Officials say chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in a deer from a farm where deer are raised in Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development says the disease was confirmed this week in a female deer at the Mecosta County farm.

State veterinarian James Averill says in a statement that the deer farmer whose herd is affected "has gone above and beyond any state requirements to protect their deer from disease." Averill says it wasn't immediately known how the infection made it to the herd.

The positive farm has been quarantined and, based on the plan, DNR will take the following steps:

• Conduct trace investigations to find possible areas of spread.
• Identify deer farms within the 15-mile radius and implement individual herd plans that explain the chronic wasting disease testing requirements and movement restrictions for each herd. These herds will also undergo a records audit and fence inspection.
• Partner with the USDA on the management of the herd.

The neurological disease affects white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk and moose. It's spread through saliva and other body fluids of infected animals. There have been about 30 confirmed or suspected infections of whitetail deer in the state since 2015.

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