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There Are No Reported Cases Of Chronic Wasting Disease In Missouri

October 18, 2005
By: Tim Walker
State Capital Bureau

The Missouri Department of Conservation says Missouri's deer population is safe from a deadly disease affecting neighboring states.

Tim Walker has more from Jefferson City.

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Tests have found cases of Chronic Wasting Disease in six of the eight states boardering Missouri.

Chronic Wasting Disease effects deer and elk in much the same way Mad Cow Disease effects cows.

Tamara Meyer, a resource assistant for the Department of Conservation, says there are no reported cases of the disease in Missouri.

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"If it is in Missouri it's at less than one percent of the deer population, which would still leave obviously a number of deer that could have it. But the likelihood of that actually being the case is fairly low."

The Department of Conservation currently tests only sick deer for Chronic Wasting Disease.

Reporting from the state Capital, I'm Tim Walker.

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In the midst of deer season, the Missouri Department of Conservation continues to test for a fatal disease liked to the deer population.

Tim Walker has more from Jefferson City.

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Chronic Wasting Disease is a close cousin of Mad Cow Disease.

The Department of Conservation conducted a three year study that found no cases of infected deer in Missouri.

Tamara Meyer, a resource assistant for the Department of Conservation says testing is ongoing.

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"At this point we're testing the sick deer that we find in the state. It's been shown in studies that that's one of the main ways to find a new location of the disease is by monitoring the sick deer because obviously they're more likely to have disease than the healthy, hunter killed, ones."

The World Health Organization says there is no evidence that the disease effects humans.

Reporting from the state Capital, I'm Tim Walker.

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The Missouri Department of Conservation says it is prepared for an outbreak of a fatal disease in the deer population.

Tim Walker has more from Jefferson City.

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Chronic Wasting Disease is present in six states boardering Missouri, including Illinois and Iowa.

The disease is closely related to Mad Cow Disease, and so far Missouri has no documented cases of the disease.

Tamara Meyer, a resource assistant at the Department of Conservation says Missouri has a plan if the disease is found in the state.

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"There are a number of factors involved. One would be testing more deer around the area where it was found and then trying to limit movements of deer from that area, and public education efforts."

Meyer says it is unlikely that humans could contract Chronic Wasting Disease from deer.

Reporting from the state Capital, I'm Tim Walker.