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Chronic Wasting DiseaseCWD, a TSE of deer and elk, made numerous headlines in FY 2002. The disease, previously known to exist only in free-ranging deer and elk in a limited geographic area of Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska, and in captive cervid herds, was unexpectedly discovered in additional free-ranging deer and elk populations in south-central Wisconsin, southwestern South Dakota, the western slope of Colorado, southern New Mexico, northern Illinois, and western Wyoming. To meet a rising demand for public information and government action, VS worked cooperatively with the States and other Federal agencies to address concerns regarding the increase of CWD in the United States. In October 2001, USDA Secretary Ann M. Veneman released $12.2 million of Commodity Credit Corporation funding to APHIS for CWD-related depopulation, indemnity payments, cleaning and disinfection, and information dissemination. These funds were also used to support surveillance and diagnostics in wild elk and deer. USDA agreed to buy farmed elk herds in the area of Colorado and Nebraska where free-ranging animals tested positive for the disease in April 2002. About 31 ranches with more than 2,400 animals participated in the program. Participating elk herd owners had their animals appraised, with USDA providing indemnification at 95 percent of the appraised value, which was capped at $3,000 per elk. Elk owners who agreed to the indemnity also agreed to only restock their land with non-cervid ruminants such as cattle, swine, and sheep. In May 2002, Congress asked USDA and DOI to form a joint working group on CWD to ensure a coordinated and cooperative Federal approach to assisting the States with CWD response efforts. In June, the working group delivered the Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing Chronic Wasting Disease in Wild and Captive Cervids to Congress and has developed an implementation document for the plan. The plan addresses CWD diagnostics, communication, information dissemination, management, research, and surveillance. As an integral part of the management plan developed in cooperation with DOI, VS continues to work with States and industry toward developing a national herd certification plan for CWD in captive deer and elk. The proposed rule is expected to be ready for publishing and comment in FY 2003. In FY 2002, VS' NVSL worked diligently to provide diagnostic and surveillance support to States with active CWD programs while considering options for increasing surveillance capacity. NVSL has efficiently handled a heavy increase in CWD surveillance testing while working with the States to develop mechanisms for handling an even larger volume of samples anticipated in FY 2003. NVSL met the demand for testing by increasing the number of approved contract laboratories available through the NAHLN. USDA has designated an official test for CWD surveillance: the immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay as performed by NVSL and NAHLN. APHIS continues to support the rationale that in order to ensure the integrity of the U.S. surveillance effort, the IHC must be performed by only these approved laboratories. These laboratories have trained personnel, have been tested for proficiency, and have supplies of control samples to perform official tests; they are also linked through a reporting database. By the close of FY 2002, there were 15 laboratories with which APHIS had contracted to perform CWD and scrapie testing. This capacity is more than sufficient to handle the increased surveillance testing planned to determine the geographic distribution and prevalence of CWD in the United States. In addition to testing, State animal health officials and USDA personnel continue to gather epidemiological information that may help to explain how CWD spreads. CWD was first recognized as a clinical wasting syndrome in 1967 in mule deer in a wildlife research facility in northern Colorado, and was identified as a TSE in 1978. CWD is typified by chronic weight loss leading to death. There is no known relationship between CWD and any other TSE of animals or people. Species that have been affected with CWD include Rocky Mountain
elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and black-tailed deer. Other
ruminant species, including wild ruminants and domestic cattle,
sheep, and goats, have been housed in wildlife facilities in direct
or indirect contact with CWD-affected deer and elk with no evidence
of disease transmission. Further research exploring the possibility
of transmission of CWD to other species is continuing.
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