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DWR Reports 2024–2025 Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Results
Richmond, VA — The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) reports the results of chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance from the Department’s four CWD Disease Management Areas (DMAs) as well as results from across the Commonwealth. In total, more than 8,100 deer were tested resulting in 109 positive CWD detections.
For the 2024–2025 hunting season, DMA1 included Clarke, Frederick, Shenandoah, and Warren counties. Of 611 white-tailed deer within DMA1 that were sampled for CWD since July 2024, 79 were confirmed to be infected with CWD. There were 53 CWD-positive deer reported from Frederick County, 12 from Shenandoah County, nine from Clarke County, and five from Warren County.
* At this time, no changes to the DMA1 boundaries are expected for the 2025–2026 deer hunting season.
DMA2 is currently comprised of Arlington, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, Page, Prince William, and Rappahannock counties. A total of 2,959 white-tailed deer from DMA2 were sampled for CWD over the past year, with 17 confirmed to be infected with CWD. There were seven CWD-positive deer reported in Loudoun County, three each in Madison and Fauquier counties, two in Culpeper County, and a single CWD-positive deer was reported in both Rappahannock and Prince William counties. The detection in Prince William County is the first in the county and was found during white-tailed deer reduction operations and subsequent disease sampling conducted by the National Park Service at Manassas National Battlefield Park.
* Please see below for information on changes to DMA2 for 2025–2026.
For the 2024–2025 deer hunting season, DMA3 encompassed Carroll, Floyd, Franklin, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke, and Wythe counties. DWR sampled 2,123 deer for CWD throughout the year in DMA3, yielding 13 positive detections including seven in Montgomery County, five in Floyd County, and one in Roanoke County. The Roanoke County positive was the first in the county and was from an adult male deer exhibiting symptoms consistent with late-stage illness with CWD.
* At this time, no changes to the DMA3 boundaries are expected for the 2025 – 2026 deer hunting season.
DMA4 was established after the 2023–2024 hunting season and currently encompasses Bland, Smyth, and Tazewell counties. DWR tested 146 deer for CWD throughout the year in these counties. There were no new CWD detections.
* At this time, no changes to the DMA4 boundaries are expected for the 2025–2026 deer hunting season.
Changes to DMA2
As a result of positive CWD detections in West Virginia within 10 miles of the border with Rockingham County, the county will be added to DMA2 for the 2025–2026 deer hunting season. In accordance with the DWR CWD Management Plan and Virginia Administrative Code, regulatory actions which go into effect immediately in Rockingham County include:
- Prohibition on white-tailed deer fawn rehabilitation, in accordance with 4VAC15-90-294.
- Restricted carcass transport, in accordance with 4VAC15-90-293.
- Whole deer carcasses and any parts containing brain and/or spinal cord tissues originating from Rockingham County may now only be transported to locations within DMA2 and DMA1.
Surveillance in non-DMA counties
Throughout the remainder of the Commonwealth, 2,262 deer were tested for CWD. No additional positive detections were discovered as a result of these efforts.
Administrative code section 4VAC15-40-285 prohibits feeding of cervids year-round within twenty-five miles of a CWD detection. The map below highlights all the counties that have a year-round cervid feeding ban because of CWD detections or due to inclusion in the Elk Management Zone. No additional counties are being added in 2025.
The Department sincerely appreciates the assistance of deer hunters in these areas for their willingness to have their deer tested for CWD. Additionally, DWR is grateful for the help of commercial deer processors and taxidermists in the Disease Management Areas who assisted with the Department’s CWD surveillance efforts.
In addition to sampling in the DMAs, dozens of taxidermists partnered with DWR to enhance CWD surveillance throughout the remainder of Virginia. This partnership proved effective in acquiring over 2,000 samples from across the Commonwealth.
CWD has been detected in 36 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. In Virginia, a total of 362 deer from 17 counties have tested positive since 2009. This incurable disease, found in deer, elk, and moose in North America, is a slow and progressive neurologic disease that ultimately results in death of the animal. The disease-causing agent, a prion, is spread through the urine, feces, and saliva of infected animals.
Noticeable symptoms of CWD, though they may not appear in animals for 16 months to two years, include staggering, abnormal posture, lowered head, drooling, confusion, and marked weight loss. These symptoms are rarely seen until the disease is well-established in an area. In Virginia, deer exhibiting these clinical symptoms have been detected in Culpeper, Fauquier, Floyd, Frederick, Montgomery, Roanoke, Shenandoah, and Warren counties. There is currently no evidence that CWD can be transmitted naturally to humans, pets, or livestock, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise hunters to test all deer harvested from known CWD-positive areas and to not consume any animals that test positive for the disease.
Additional surveillance data, descriptions of regulations pertaining to CWD, maps of DMAs, and more information about CWD can be found on the DWR website.