JACKSON — A new CWD positive was recorded on the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Chronic Wasting Disease Dashboard this week. Deer Program Coordinator William McKinley said the positive sample came from an enclosure in Benton County which tested positive in April and was not recorded until this week.

McKinley said it is the second deer enclosure positive, Tate County had a sample from an enclosure test positive last year as well.

The positive sample is is the 182 positive in Benton County. Mississippi’s special velvet season, Sept. 13 to 15, will hope to collect more CWD samples for testing. One positive was found during last year’s velvet season.

Chronic Wasting Disease is a 100 percent always fatal disease found in deer and other members of the cervidae family. CWD is caused by an infectious prion, misfolded protein, which is neurodegenerative. Deer often do not show any physical symptoms of CWD until the late stages of the disease which could be 18 months after initial infection. 

Positive deer shed CWD prions into the environment through bodily fluids where they persist in soil and vegetation. Healthy deer can become infected through this indirect contact with prions in the environment or with direct contact with infected deer. 

Since first detection in 2018, MDWFP has detected 318 positives. The first positive was detected in Issaquena County where there are now three positives. 

McKinley said the deer program has received some reports about sick deer. Heat stress magnifies whatever sickness deer might have whether it be Epizotic Hemorhagic Disease, pneumonia or CWD.

“We have had a few suspect cases of EHD but overall not a whole lot coming in thankfully,” McKinley said.

Mississippi’s deer program is getting ready for the coming deer season. Last year, hunters submitted 8,984 samples for CWD testing.

Hunters in Warren County have submitted 2,033 samples since 2018 and have found seven positives in proximity to the first detection in Issaquena County. More samples are needed across the state especially in counties where there has been less than 300 samples per year. The majority of counties in Southwest Mississippi fall into this category. Lincoln County hunters have submitted 727 samples for CWD testing since 2018. CWD moved closer to Lincoln County with detection in Claiborne County last year, the total samples collected there are 935. 

Hunter submitted sampling is crucial in detecting the disease early so the state agency can enact the CWD management plan to mitigate the spread of the disease. CWD samples can be dropped off at self serve coolers around the state or at participating taxidermists. The closest drop-off cooler to Lincoln County is in Hazlehurst at the Mississippi State Extension Service Office there.

Lincoln County’s participating taxidermists are Brent Opdyke, Allen Morgan and George Wilson and their information can be found on the MDWFP CWD page. 

Check back for more updates.