Delaware Administrative Code
Title 3 - Agriculture
900 - Poultry and Animal Health
905 - Chronic Wasting Disease
Section 905-1.0 - Description of the Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a progressive, fatal, neurological disease found in a small percentage of cervidae (deer and elk). CWD belongs to the deadly group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). CWD was first described as a wasting syndrome in captive deer held in a Colorado wildlife refuge in 1967. It was detected in free ranging deer and elk in northern Colorado and adjacent sections of southeastern Wyoming in the mid 1980's. Since then, CWD has been found in captive herds and free ranging animals in many states. Since a complete understanding of the mode of transmission for this disease is not fully known at this time, it is prudent to develop control measures to prevent its entry into this State.