British ColumbiaThe B.C. government says testing has confirmed a sample from a deer harvested in the Okanagan region was negative for chronic wasting disease. Sample sent to CFIA lab after initial ‘non-negative’ finding for confirmatory testingThe Canadian Press · Posted: Dec 08, 2025 10:33 PM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Chronic wasting disease is fatal to cervids, including white-tailed deer. A recent hunter-submitted sample taken from a white-tailed deer killed east of Enderby, B.C. showed no sign of the disease according to the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. (Mitchell Kincaid Cook)The British Columbia government says testing has confirmed a sample from a deer harvested in the Okanagan region was negative for chronic wasting disease. Chronic wasting disease is an infectious and fatal illness affecting species such as deer, elk, moose and caribou.A statement from the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship last month said a hunter-submitted a sample taken from the white-tailed deer killed east of Enderby and the results of initial testing suggested the disease may be present.It said at the time that, if confirmed, it would be the first detection in B.C. outside an existing management zone in the Kootenay area.The ministry said in a statement that the sample was sent to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency reference laboratory after the initial “non-negative” finding for the sample for confirmatory testing.The ministry says the lab conducted confirmatory testing using three different methods, all of which were negative for chronic wasting disease.It also says although the result was negative, the disease remains a “serious concern in B.C.” WATCH | Cases of chronic wasting disease spurs cull of urban deer in B.C. (February 2025):B.C. set to cull hundreds of deer to curb deadly deer disease in the East KootenaysA fifth case of a deadly deer disease has been found near Cranbrook. The first case was identified last January in the East Kootenay region and more continue to pop up. The province says it’s working to manage the spread. As CBC’s Corey Bullock reports, B.C. says it’s set to cull 200 deer in Cranbrook and Kimberley to test for the disease.While there is no direct evidence the disease can be transmitted to humans and there have been no cases in humans, the ministry says Health Canada and the World Health Organization recommend people not eat the meat of an infected animal.It notes that there have been six confirmed cases of the disease in B.C., though all have been within the Kootenay region. The ministry says hunters are “essential partners” in the province’s deer disease surveillance efforts. “People are strongly encouraged to continue submitting samples from deer, elk and moose harvested anywhere in B.C. to help determine where the disease is present and to detect new cases as early as possible,” the statement said.
Tests confirm no chronic wasting disease in case of deer in B.C.’s Okanagan
