SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. — The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has reported a preliminary positive test result for Chronic Wasting Disease in a deer from southeastern Georgia.
The deer, collected for disease monitoring in Atkinson County near the Berrien County line, tested preliminarily positive for the disease. This marks the first case in Atkinson County and is about14 miles from the nearest known positive deer.
DNR says this is the ninth positive sample in the state since the disease was detected in the state in January 2025, with 398 samples having been submitted.
“We applaud hunters and private landowners for their efforts so far this season with submitting samples and staying vigilant for signs of the disease,” said DNR Commissioner Walter Rabon.
In January 2025, Georgia confirmed its first positive case of the disease in a hunter-harvested deer from the Lanier/Berrien County line. Following this detection, Georgia DNR started its CWD Response Plan and established the CWD Management Area, which includes any county touching a five-mile radius around each positive location found.
With the recent disease sample detected, Atkinson County is added to the management area, which also includes Berrien, Lanier and Lowndes counties.
The Georgia DNR encourages all hunters in the CMA to take their deer to sampling locations. Free sampling locations have been established throughout the CMA, including new ones in Atkinson County, and in counties surrounding the CMA. Hunters can expect testing results (for deer in the CMA) to take between 2-6 weeks.
Georgia DNR staff are working to establish additional testing and drop-off locations for hunters in Atkinson County. Staff will continue working with landowners and hunters in the immediate area to determine the geographic extent and prevalence rate of CWD.
Chronic Wasting Disease is a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk, and moose caused by infectious, misfolded proteins called prions. There are no current treatments or preventative vaccines.
There is no known transmission of CWD to humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that hunters harvesting a deer, elk or moose from an area where CWD is known to be present have their animal tested for CWD before eating the meat and do not consume the meat if the animal tests positive.
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