Public meeting scheduled to discuss Chronic Wasting Disease

​FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 5, 2024) — Officials with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources have scheduled a public meeting in Ballard County to address Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and the agency’s response after the disease was detected in the county this past December. ​​

​​The public meeting will take place on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, 6 – 8 p.m. (CST) at Grace Church, 3752 Paducah Rd. (Hwy. 60), in La Center.

​​“The goal of this meeting is to update the public on our response to the first detection of CWD in the state and to seek public input on different management strategies,” said Gabe Jenkins, deputy commissioner for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

​​Kentucky Fish and Wildlife personnel will be on hand to present information on CWD, review proposed regulations, answer questions and receive public input.

“Hunters, landowners, processors, taxidermists, wildlife enthusiasts and other stakeholders play a critical role in helping us combat a disease such as CWD,” said Ben Robinson, Wildlife Division director. “We encourage the public to attend the upcoming meeting for us to address their questions and concerns, and to provide input as we make decisions on our management strategies.”​​

​​Chronic Wasting Disease is caused by abnormal proteins called prions and it affects white-tailed deer, elk, and other animals in the deer family. There is no known cure or vaccine, and the disease is always fatal in infected animals. The disease is not known to be transmissible to humans, but as a precaution the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends not consuming meat from deer that test positive for the disease. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife always recommends not consuming meat taken from animals that appear to be sick or in poor condition.

​​Deer that appear to be sick but do not have an obvious injury can be reported using the department’s sick deer online reporting form; reports will be reviewed by the agency’s wildlife health program staff, who will contact the person submitting the report if additional information is needed.

Kentucky’s first case of CWD was detected in Ballard County in December 2023. A sample from a hunter-harvested 2 ½-year-old male white-tailed deer was confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.​​

​​For the latest information on CWD, please visit the department's Chronic Wasting Disease page on its website (fw.ky.gov) and follow its social media channels. More information about CWD is available at cwd-info.org and through the CDC website​.