CWD confirmed in Gratiot County

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced a new confirmed case of Chronic Wasting Disease in Michigan. A hunter-harvested doe from the Hamilton Township in Gratiot County tested positive for CWD. The DNR sent the tissue samples to the Michigan University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for the final confirmation.

In 2018, the DNR confirmed another case of CWD in Gratiot County, which includes Ithica and Alma townships. CWD is a fatal brain disease affecting deer, elk, and moose. There is currently no cure for CWD, making it difficult to prevent the disease from moving to new hosts. There are no reported cases of CWD infecting a human, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends that hunters not eat the meat from a positive CWD harvested deer. CWD infected deer will appear skinny and often act abnormal.