CARBON COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) -- There's been another dead deer that has tested for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Pennsylvania, just a few weeks after officials announced finding other cases in Luzerne County.
This CWD-positive deer was detected in Packer Township, Carbon County, making it the first recorded CWD case in the county, a news release from the Pennsylvania Game Commission states.
The landowner found the dead adult male deer which was severely emaciated. The location of the deer is more than 10 miles away from any other confirmed positive CWD deer, the release states.
In Luzerne County, two dead deer, one that was hunter-harvested and another that was captive, tested positive for CWD. The captive deer tested positive Dec. 16 for CWD.
"CWD spreads through direct animal-to-animal contact, as well as indirectly through prion-contaminated environments," according to the Game Commission. "CWD-infected deer shed prions through saliva, urine and feces, and infected carcasses contribute to environmental contamination. Once in soil, CWD prions remain infectious for decades. Therefore, feeding deer is strongly discouraged and is illegal within existing DMAs."
There is no evidence that humans have been infected by CWD under natural conditions.
A public meeting will be held by the Game Commission at Penn State Hazleton on Feb. 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. going over the recent CWD detection.
