Virginia Tech researches impacts of Chronic Wasting Disease

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - A group of researchers at Virginia Tech is investigating a disease impacting deer in Southwest Virginia.

Chronic Wasting Disease has been around for decades, but only recently has it been detected in areas of Virginia like Floyd, Montgomery and Pulaski counties, according to the Department of Wildlife Resources.

As of March, DWR reported four CWD-positive deer were harvested in Montgomery County, three in Floyd County, and one in Pulaski County for the 2022 - 2023 hunting season.

Virginia Tech professor and wildlife health expert Luis Escobar is leading a study to determine the risk of CWD transmission in Virginia.

He joined Here @ Home to talk about the potential threat this disease could have on the ecosystem. Right now, no humans or pets have been infected with CWD only found in white-tailed deer and other cervids like elk, moose and other deer species.

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