Kentucky's second case of CWD in deer reported

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture announced Monday that the state's second ever case of Chronic Wasting Disease was found in Breckinridge County.

They reported that a dead deer from a Breckinridge County deer farm had tested positive for CWD. Breckinridge County is located between Owensboro and Louisville.

This comes after the first case was detected in Ballard County last December. Several western Kentucky counties have been designated as CWD zones since 2021, where hunters were instructed how to process and transport harvested deer to avoid spread of the possible disease.

The department has issued a quarantine to restrict movement in and out of the Breckinridge County facility, including live deer or deer products.

While Chronic Wasting Disease is not known to be transmissible to people, officials recommend not to eat meat from deer that tested positive for the disease, and in general, not to eat meat taken from any animal that appears sick or in poor condition.

A no-cost service exists for hunters who would like to help Kentucky’s efforts to monitor the disease. The heads of legally hunted deer can be dropped off for testing and aging at self-serve CWD Sample Drop-Off Sites.