CWD continues to spread in the province. (Submitted photo/Ministry of Environment)

By Brady Bateman

Disease Awareness

Saskatchewan sees highest number of confirmed cases of CWD

Jun 20, 2019 | 5:02 PM

More cases of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) than ever before were found in Saskatchewan last year, according to the Ministry of Environment.

Of over 2,000 submissions, 349 positive cases were confirmed.

CWD is a fatal disease which affects the nervous system of deer, elk, and in more rare cases, moose. Hunters are asked to continue to submit animal heads for study, and to have all animals tested before consumption.

“We had a very robust surveillance program last year and had a real uptick in submissions,” Iga Stasiak, a wildlife health specialist with the ministry, said. “What we really saw was detection of the disease in new parts of the province, in southeastern and central Saskatchewan.”

Stasiak said part of the reason for the steep rise in cases was a jump in submissions, with previous years seeing just over 800 come in.

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The disease, she said, continues to spread throughout the province, with CWD now found in two-thirds of Wildlife Management Zones in southern Saskatchewan, and nine new management zones within the last year.

CWD spreads by animal-to-animal contact, be it through saliva, urine, or feces. Infectious agents also bind to soil and vegetation, which makes it particularly tricky to eradicate. Animals are 680 times more likely to contract the disease from exposure to infected soil than they are from animal-to-animal.

“There hasn’t been any change in the risk related to Chronic Wasting Disease, we have not yet had any documented cases in humans. However, we always like to take the precautionary approach,” Stasiak said.

More than a dozen cases of CWD have been detected east and northeast of Prince Albert within the last year. The Love and Nipawin areas have historically had a high prevalence of CWD in wild white tail deer and elk populations. The highest prevalence is traditionally and continues to be present in mule deer, representing 270 of the 349 confirmed cases last year.

This map from the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative shows the identified positive cases of chronic wasting disease in the province up to Feb. 19, 2019. (Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative)

“The data is very similar to what we’ve seen in the past,” Stasiak said. “We did have two positive moose last year. Traditionally we haven’t had very many moose submitted, and because they are solitary animals, we believe transmission between moose is lower.”

The Ministry of Wildlife is working alongside the ministries of health and agriculture to develop a provincial CWD management strategy.

As the disease has been present for roughly 20 years, Stasiak said the government recognizes that eradication is no longer possible and is focused on ways to minimize transmission.

Heads can be submitted to conservation offices around the province for testing. Hunters will be given a tag with an identification number, which they can track online to find the results of their kills.

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Brady.bateman@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TheDigitalBirdy