Report warns fatal deer disease could jump to humans. Unlikely, Michigan says

• A deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease in Mecosta County, the 14th Michigan county where CWD has been identified
• CWD is a fatal neurological illness that affects white-tailed deer, elk and moose
• The disease could potentially be spread to humans but no human cases have been reported by the CDC

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources confirmed an adult buck tested positive for chronic wasting disease in Mecosta County, making it the 14th county where the fatal disease has been found in wild deer. 

Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, attacks the central nervous system of white-tailed deer, elk and moose. Infected animals can experience symptoms including behavioral changes, excessive salivation and progressive loss of body condition. 

The first case of CWD in the state was found in 2015, and since then deer in Clinton, Dickinson, Eaton, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Midland, Montcalm and Ogemaw counties have tested positive for the disease. 

The adult buck that tested positive was in Millbrook Township, which borders Montcalm County, where 167 deer have tested positive for CWD, the most in the state. 

This news comes days after a report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota outlined the potential threat of CWD spreading from deer to other wild animals and humans if it is not properly monitored. 

Related:

• Michigan's total deer harvest is down, but hunters shot more bucks in '24
• Michigan reports worst outbreak of viral disease in wild deer in 12 years 
• As deer ravage suburbs, Michigan urges hunters: Do your part, shoot a doe

The report suggests that, “the continued spread of CWD and environmental contamination increases the risk of exposure and spillover to other wildlife, livestock and humans … CWD spillover could have far-reaching effects on the food supply, economy, global trade and agriculture.” 

No human cases of CWD have been detected, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CWD is a prion disease that can affect both animals and humans, raising the possibility of future transmission to humans. 

“It's the recommendation of the CDC to not eat meat from an infected animal,” said Melinda Cosgrove, laboratory scientist manager, for the DNR’s Wildlife Health Section. “Nobody wants to be that first case, right, to see that that's changed.”

Cosgrove said the state isn’t concerned about a widespread outbreak of CWD or the possibility of it being transmitted to other wildlife or even humans, but people should still take precautions to prevent it from spreading further.  

“The best thing that people can do is not move deer,” she said. “If they harvest a deer, to stay in the area where they've harvested it, dispose of the carcass and parts after they've taken the meat, like through a landfill, instead of just leaving it out on the landscape where other animals can come in contact with it.”