Another Indiana county is reporting its first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD), less than a year after the state’s first detection.
A 2.5-year-old white-tailed buck in Posey County tested positive after being harvested by a hunter, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said in a news release late last week.
The county is in the southwestern part of Indiana, on the border with CWD-positive Illinois and CWD-positive Kentucky, the far opposite of LaGrange County, where the state’s first case was discovered in April 2024. LaGrange County abuts CWD-positive Michigan. The other state that borders Indiana, Ohio, has also reported cases of the fatal neurodegenerative disease.
During the 2025-2026 deer hunting season, DNR will enhance its surveillance efforts in Posey County and the surrounding counties to determine the extent of disease in this area.
“During the 2025-2026 deer hunting season, DNR will enhance its surveillance efforts in Posey County and the surrounding counties to determine the extent of disease in this area,” the DNR said. “This will allow biologists to develop a targeted response based on the prevalence of CWD in this part of Indiana. CWD testing will be voluntary for hunters in this area.”
Cooking doesn’t neutralize prions
CWD, a disease of cervids such as deer, moose, and elk, is caused by infectious misfolded proteins called prions, which spread through direct contact and the environment.
The disease isn’t known to infect people, but some experts fear it could cause illness similar to another prion disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (“mad cow” disease). The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns against eating meat from infected animals, as cooking temperatures cannot deactivate prions.
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