Two cases of chronic wasting disease have been confirmed in British Columbia’s Kootenay region, prompting a targeted provincial response aimed at minimizing the spread.
The Department of Water, Land and Resources Management announced that samples taken from two deer south of Cranbrook have confirmed the infection.
“The first sample was taken from a harvested adult male mule deer. The second sample was taken from an adult female white-tailed deer that was hit on the road,” the department said in a news release Thursday.
Both cases were confirmed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency reference laboratory on Wednesday.
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal and incurable disease for deer, elk, moose, caribou, and other cervids, but the department says there is “no direct evidence that the disease can be transmitted to humans. “There are no cases of infection,” he said. human disease. ”
Health Canada still recommends not eating “meat or other parts” of animals infected with chronic wasting disease.
The disease has been detected in other parts of Canada, including Alberta, where the first case was recorded in 2005. No cases were confirmed in Manitoba until 2021.
The B.C. government said it will launch an early response focused on gathering details and minimizing the potential for spread of the virus within a 10-kilometre radius of the area where the infection was confirmed.
“People in first responder areas should pay attention to future instructions, including on handling corpses,” the ministry said.
Officials recommend anyone who sees a deer, elk, elk, or caribou exhibiting symptoms of chronic wasting disease, including weight loss, drooling, decreased coordination, stumbling, and general illness for no apparent reason, , asked them to contact “Report all poachers and polluters.” Hotline 1-877-952-7277.
