Another case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been confirmed in a white-tailed deer harvested near Jaffray, marking the ninth confirmed case of the disease in the province.
This newly confirmed case was detected through testing of hunter-harvested animals within an established CWD management zone in the Kootenay region.
All confirmed cases in the province to date have been identified through surveillance efforts in that CWD management zone.
The Province says it continues to work closely with First Nations, hunters, local and federal governments and non-government partners to monitor the disease and reduce the risk of further spread.
The CWD management zone includes much of the Kootenay region, which sets out mandatory submission of deer, elk and moose samples for testing. There are also restrictions on transporting harvested carcasses outside of the management zone.
Other efforts to test for disease prevalence include a cull of 100 urban deer in Cranbrook, which returned one positive CWD test. A similar cull was also conducted in Kimberley, however, only 30 deer were killed with all test results negative.
A special three-week deer hunt for the rural area around Cranbrook is also currently underway which also includes mandatory testing of any harvested wildlife. The hunt runs from Jan. 5-31.
Hunter participation plays a key role in surveillance efforts, according to the province.
Sample submissions from harvested animals support early detection and help inform ongoing management and response actions.
CWD affects cervids, such as deer, moose, elk and caribou, and is a condition of the central nervous system caused by infectious agents called prions, which kill cells in the brain as they accumulate and lead to neurological disease.
Prions, a type of protein, also accumulate in other tissues and may be shed by the infected animal into water or on plants and bedding through saliva, urine and feces.
It is 100 per cent fatal to wildlife with no known treatment. However, it is not known to affect humans or livestock, although public health guidance recommends that animals with CWD should not be consumed.