Thus far there have been 26 deer that have tested positive. A total of 18 of 26 came from the LaSal Mountains, four were from the Vernal area, one near Flaming Gorge and three from the Fountain Green area.

CWD is fatal to deer and elk that contract it. However, according to the World Health Organization, "There is currently no evidence that CWD in cervidae (deer and elk) is transmitted to humans."

States that have reported positive cases include Utah, Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming, as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

First identified in an area along the borders of Colorado and Wyoming near Cheyenne in 1967, it was pretty much confined for several years. Recently, however, it has started to spread.

Not much is really known about the disease. It is a transmissible spongiform that results in a progressive and always fatal disease of the nervous system.

Clinical signs include poor posture, lowered head and ears, uncoordinated movement, rough-hair coat, weight loss, increased thirst, excessive drooling and, ultimately, death.

One of the mysteries is just how it is spread. One theory is through animal-to-animal contact.

A moose killed in northern Colorado has tested positive for CWD and is apparently the first of its species known to have contracted the disease in the wild.

It is believed that Utah's first case of CWD, which showed up near Vernal, involved a deer that had come in contact with a contaminated herd across the border in Colorado.

How it reached deer in the LaSal Mountains and in the Fountain Green area remains a mystery.

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