A white-tailed buck south of Grangeville, Idaho, has become the first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Hunting Unit 15, near CWD-positive Hunting Unit 14.

A hunter harvested the deer about 20 miles from Slate Creek, where CWD was first identified in 2021 and where multiple deer and elk have since tested positive for the fatal neurodegenerative disease, Idaho Fish and Game said yesterday in a news release. This is the first CWD detection outside of Hunting Units 1, 14, 18 and 23.  

Grangeville is in northwest Idaho, in the foothills of the Bitterroot Mountains.

Today, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the country’s confirmed measles cases have grown to 2,065, up from 2,012 last week, with outbreaks in South Carolina, Arizona, and Utah each documenting 10 to 20 more infections this week.

The United States is at risk for losing its measles elimination status, which it earned in 2000, after surpassing the 2,000-case mark last week. While measles vaccination campaigns led to a steep drop in cases starting in 2000, a surge of vaccine skepticism in recent years has resulted in a resurgence of infections.

Lack of vaccination a significant contributor

Yesterday, the South Carolina Department of Public Health added 20 more infections to its Upstate measles outbreak, for a total of 176 cases in that region since October 2 and a statewide total of 179 since July 9. The surge has been fed by infections at several elementary schools with largely unvaccinated student bodies.

We have seen measles spread quickly in unvaccinated households here in South Carolina.

“Some cases are travel-related exposures or close contacts of known cases,” the news release said. “Other cases have no identified source, suggesting that measles is circulating in the community and could spread further. We have seen measles spread quickly in unvaccinated households here in South Carolina.”

Measles cases in Arizona have now topped the 200 mark, with 205 total cases, 10 more than last week, per the Arizona Department of Health Services. Nine of the 10 new infections are in Mohave County.

Utah, which has seen its greatest measles activity in more than 30 years, has 14 new cases, bringing its total to 156, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services said in an update. All but one are in the Southwest health district, which indicates that the outbreak centered in Arizona’s Mohave County and southwest Utah has surpassed 300 cases, growing to 314 infections, up from 292 the week before.