Fatal disease among deer inching closer to Columbus area

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A fatal disease among deer that may cause abnormal behavior including a lack of fear of humans is inching closer to the Columbus area. 

The Ohio Division of Wildlife has confirmed a doe hunted during 2024 in Morrow County at the Delaware Wildlife Area, just above the border of Delaware County, was infected with CWD, or chronic wasting disease. 

Hunters in Ohio can voluntarily submit samples of deer to the Ohio Department of Agriculture's lab in order to get notified if a deer was infected with CWD, so they can dispose of the meat. This also helps the state Division of Wildlife track the disease. 

Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological illness in deer and similar animals such as elk, moose and reindeer. It is caused by misfolded proteins called prions. When diseased prions come into contact with normal prions, it causes them to refold into an abnormal shape. The disease spreads among deer through social contact or an environment that has been contaminated with body fluid from a sick animal.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has tested 33,182 wild deer for the disease since 2017. An outbreak was first detected in Wyandot County in 2020. Since then, there have been 72 confirmed cases of infected deer across Hardin, Allen, Marion, Wyandot and now Morrow counties. Before this, from 2014 to 2020, a total of 25 deer from four captive facilities in Wayne and Holmes counties tested positive. 

“The percentage of deer on the landscape that would be positive for CWD based on these numbers, we're well below a 1% prevalence rate right now,” said Gary Comer, a wildlife management supervisor with the ODNR. “The good news is it’s not widespread, the bad news is it’s going to be on the landscape because those prions, the environment can become contaminated with them.”

There have not been any reported cases of CWD in dogs, cats or humans. However, the Centers for Disease Country and Prevention (CDC) classifies it as a “theoretical risk” to people, as a similar prion disease in animals can infect humans, so the agency recommends people err on the side of caution and do not eat the meat of an infected deer. 

“Currently, there's been no strong scientific evidence that eating contaminated venison from a deer that is positive for CWD could impact humans, but the CDC says that it is recommended that you do not eat known positive deer,” Comer said. “So it’s not out of the realm of possibilities [for it to affect humans] – we honestly don't know.”

Once a deer is infected, it can take 18-24 months before outward signs of the disease appear. During this incubation period, deer look and act normal. Once they begin displaying symptoms, the most obvious sign is extreme weight loss. Other symptoms include a lack of fear of humans, drooping ears, stumbling and drooling.

Comer said the best way to stop the spread of the disease is to keep the overall deer population low, because deer are social animals and often come into contact with one another. Hunters should also follow the department’s guidelines when disposing of a deer’s remains. 

CWD symptoms are similar to those of other diseases deer may face, so it is difficult to diagnose an animal based on symptoms alone. However, Comer said if residents observe a deer they suspect has the disease, they should report the sighting to the Division of Wildlife by calling 800-945-3543.