Protecting Against Chronic Wasting Disease

• Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a naturally occurring disease of the brain and nervous system in deer and elk.
• CWD belongs to the family of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) that attacks the brains of deer and elk, producing small lesions that eventually result in death.
• CWD has not been shown to be transmissible to humans and should not prevent you from hunting.
• If you hunt deer or elk in states or provinces where CWD has been detected, check with the state’s fish and wildlife agency regarding any special regulations or advice for hunters.
• Always take the same precautions you would follow to protect against other pathogens or diseases, especially when field dressing or butchering deer or elk.
  • Never shoot or handle a deer or elk that appears sick.
  • Wear latex or rubber gloves when field dressing or butchering a deer or elk.
  • Do not use household knives or utensils.
  • Remove all internal organs.
  • Bone the deer or elk (remove the meat from the bones and spinal column).
  • Avoid cutting through bones or the spinal column (backbone).
  • Never eat the brain, eyeballs, spinal cord, spleen, or lymph nodes of a deer or elk.
  • If you saw off antlers or through a bone, or if you sever the spinal column with a knife, be sure to disinfect those tools prior to using them for the butchering or removal of meat.
  • Remove all fat, membranes, and connective tissue from the meat. Note that normal field dressing and trimming of fat from meat will remove lymph nodes.
  • Always wash your hands and tools thoroughly after dressing and processing game meat.
  • Use a 50/50 solution of household chlorine bleach and water to disinfect tools and work surfaces. Wipe down counters, and let them dry; soak knives for one hour.
• You can find more information on the internet at www.cwd-info.org.