Delaware has confirmed its first case of CWD found in a wild white-tailed deer.

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Delaware has confirmed its first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a wild white-tailed deer. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) announced the positive test results today after the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory (USDA NVSL) confirmed positive results from hunter-harvested deer taken as part of routine surveillance. The second deer sampled this season has a presumptive positive test result on the Pennsylvania Veterinary Diagnostic Testing System and is awaiting confirmation by the Department of Agriculture NVSL. CWD has not previously been detected in Delaware.

Both positive samples were taken from white-tailed deer captured in Sussex County. DNREC has already contacted the hunters who captured these deer. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife has conducted annual CWD surveillance since 2003, and since then 12,938 samples have been tested, with the two positive samples being among more than 600 samples taken across the state during the 2025-26 hunting season.

CWD is a fatal disease of the brain and nervous system that affects cervids, including deer, elk, and moose, and is caused by infectious misfolded proteins called prions. CWD has been reported to occur in cervids over 6 months of age. Scientists believe that CWD prions are spread between animals through body fluids such as saliva, blood, urine, and feces, and can occur through direct contact or indirectly through soil, food, or water contamination. CWD can be transmitted from doe to fawn in utero or at birth, and has also been detected in the semen of bucks. There is currently no treatment or vaccine available.

Although it is not known to be transmitted to humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that hunters who harvest deer such as whitetail, red, sika, mule, elk, and elk in areas where CWD is known have the meat tested for CWD before consuming the meat. Meat from animals that have tested positive should not be eaten.

Immediately after the positive confirmation, DNREC implemented a CWD response plan. DNREC will establish a CWD Management Zone based on the Wildlife Management Zone within a five-mile radius of where the deer was taken and will begin cluster sampling in the area to look for additional cases nearby. The CWD Management Area includes Wildlife Management Zones 14 and 16. Hunters who take deer in this area may be contacted directly with relevant information.

Delaware officials will work with wildlife disease experts to determine an appropriate sample size based on conditions on the ground. If more deer test positive, the response area will be expanded and additional sampling will be conducted. DNREC has posted CWD information and response plans and plans to hold community meetings near detection areas for residents to ask questions and receive updated information. During the next deer hunting season, Delaware will require deer to be checked in for CWD testing within designated infected areas at wildlife health checkpoints if they are open, and may enact regulatory changes aimed at reducing prevalence among wild deer.

CWD has been reported in 37 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Ohio. Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. This is the first time it has been discovered in Delmarva.

CWD can spread rapidly as these species move from region to region in search of food sources.

The public can help slow the spread of CWD by taking the following steps:

• Do not move live deer.
• Do not feed, feed or water wild deer.
• Dispose of carcasses in Delaware in landfills and do not bring whole carcasses into Delaware from outside the state or move whole carcasses outside of CWD management areas.
• Report sick or abnormal deer using DNREC’s Sick and Injured Wildlife Reporting Form. Signs include weight loss, decreased coordination, drooping ears, drooling, difficulty swallowing, and frequent urination.
• Do not shoot, touch, or eat animals that appear sick or behave strangely.
• Do not touch or eat meat from animals found dead in the environment.
• Use synthetic deer urine products instead of natural deer urine, and avoid pouring natural deer urine on the ground.

Recreational deer harvesting is closed for the season in Delaware, but farmers who remove deer from their farms through the Deer Damage Assistance Program must follow precautions.

The Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) requires all deer farms to maintain strict biosecurity measures, including verifying the integrity of farm perimeter fencing, to reduce the risk of captive deer coming into contact with wildlife. Animals that die on captive cervid farms must be reported to the DDA State Veterinarian Office and DNREC within one business day and submitted to a USDA-approved laboratory for testing. More information about emergency preparedness and biosecurity for captive deer can be found on the USDA website.

DNREC will continue long-term surveillance to better understand the scope of the disease and monitor its spread. More information about CWD, including state response plans, management area maps, and public guidance, can be found on the de.gov/cwd webpage.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreation opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. DNREC The Division of Fish and Wildlife protects and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitat, providing fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing, and boating access on more than 75,000 acres of public land owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. For more information, visit our website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. ×YouTube or LinkedIn.

Media contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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