The Fairfax County Police Department announced that Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been confirmed for the first time in a white-tailed deer harvested in Fairfax County. To learn more about this and CWD, watch this video and see this update from the Police Department.

In accordance with CDC recommendations, the Virginia Department of Health recommends that deer harvested from any CWD-positive county be tested for CWD prior to consumption and that test-positive animals not be made available for human consumption. It is important to note that currently available CWD diagnostic tests are not food safety tests and the intent of any testing is not to certify a deer as safe for consumption. Test results will be either “positive” or “no prions detected”. In the early stages of infection, prions may not be at levels detectable by the test; a “no prions detected” test result does not guarantee that an individual animal is not infected with CWD. Consumption of any deer or elk comes with some degree of risk, through that risk is believed to be lower in counties not affected by CWD and in animals where no prions are detected.