Excessive salivation, trouble swallowing, difficulty in judging space and distances, lethargy and drooping ears are other common symptoms. Unfortunately, these symptoms are not specific to CWD and can occur with other diseases as well. The only way to diagnose whether or not elk or deer are affected with CWD is to examine the brain tissue after the animal has died. The exact transmission mechanism of CWD is unclear at this time. However, it is known that the disease can pass from one animal to another, and females can pass it to their offspring.
Infectious material can also persist in the environment for an unknown period of time.
There is no scientific evidence to suggest that CWD can affect humans. As a precaution, the World Health Organization advises against allowing any products from animals infected with CWD into the human food system. Chronic wasting disease occurs in the wild in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska and was detected recently in a single wild mule deer in Saskatchewan. It has been diagnosed in farmed elk in South Dakota, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Montana, Colorado and Saskatchewan. CWD has not been detected in Alberta.