Chronic wasting disease spreads to new area in Utah
Mar 4, 2026, 11:17 AM | Updated: 11:52 am
A deer with chronic wasting disease in Utah. (Utah Division of Wildlife Resources)
(Utah Division of Wildlife Resources)
SALT LAKE CITY — A rare transmissible disease affecting Utah’s deer and elk population spread to the Scofield area in Carbon County, a first for that location, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources.
DNR said a deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the area of Scofield after the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources tested harvested meat from deer throughout the state.
“The DWR monitors for the spread of chronic wasting disease in big game animals across Utah and conducts check stations each fall during the general-season rifle deer hunts to test harvested deer in specific hunting units,” DWR State Wildlife Veterinarian Ginger Stout said. “The samples taken from deer during last fall’s check stations were sent to the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Logan, and we recently received the last test results.”
DWR had 2,126 samples tested for the disease between July 1 and Feb. 23. At least 1,479 of those samples were from animals harvested by hunters.
“Of the total samples, 83 were confirmed positive for chronic wasting disease, and 46 of those samples were submitted by hunters,” DNR said. “The number of positive cases was slightly down from the previous hunting season’s 98 confirmed cases.”
Areas affected by CWD
Utah first saw deer being affected by CWD in 2002 when DNR said a buck tested positive for the disease near Vernal.
Since then, at least 435 mule deer and 11 elk have tested positive for CWD in the state of Utah, according to DNR. So far, no moose have tested positive for the disease in Utah.
In the fall of 2025, the Little Mountain/Pine Ridge/Dry Fork area in Uintah County saw CWD positive cases for the first time.
“We can’t accurately compare each year’s positive cases to determine how fast the disease is spreading because we sample areas of the state on a five-year rotation — alternatively, we compare each unit from year to year,” Stout said. “However, we are finding the disease in new areas, so unfortunately, it does appear to be spreading in Utah. We are continuing to do extensive monitoring and trying different hunting strategies to stay on top of the disease and its prevalence in the state.”
A map showing the locations in Utah where mule deer and elk have been affected by CWD from 2002 to 2025. (DWR)
What does CWD look like?
“Infected animals develop brain lesions, become emaciated, appear listless and have droopy ears,” DNR said. “They may also salivate excessively and will eventually die. Deer in the early stages of chronic wasting disease appear healthy — including animals that may be harvested by hunters — so the only way to know if your deer is infected is to get it tested.”
DNR said the disease can be transferred between animals through direct contact, and when the animal eventually dies, the soil can even be contaminated and stay that way for many years.
If a person suspects an animal may have CWD, they can contact DWR to make a report.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease has resided in 36 states in the U.S. and it hasn’t had an affect on livestock or pets as of August 2025.
“To date, there is no strong evidence that CWD infects people, but these studies show that caution and additional research are warranted,” The CDC said. “Scientists are conducting studies to learn more about the potential risk to people who hunt or eat deer or elk meat, for example by determining if they are diagnosed with prion diseases more often than people who do not. Since it may take years to decades for symptoms to appear, we won’t know the results for some time.”
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