Chronic wasting disease is a neurological illness that infects white-tailed deer. The bacteria causes the animals to lose basic functions and “waste away.”
Officials say the disease is making new appearances in 16 counties, including DeKalb, Winnebago, LaSalle, and Ogle counties.
Doug Dufford is with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. He says there’s no solution to eliminate the disease, but the department tries to control it.
“We hope to remove infected animals from the area and ideally we would remove them before they’re able infect other deer," Dufford said. "But also, by reducing the densities, we’re decreasing the potential for transmission between animals."
Dufford says chronic wasting disease cannot be passed to humans, but he urges hunters to be cautious.
“When you’re processing deer, make sure that you’re not cutting into the spinal column or consuming brain tissue," Dufford said.
The department’s website has locations where people can have their samples tested at no cost.