There have been 409 Missouri cases of chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer since 2012, and 117 were discovered over the past several months.
Many of the recent cases were confirmed in the Ozarks.
The Missouri Department of Conservation reported its 12-month data (July 2022-April 2023) that includes samples from 33,000 deer checked for the contagious neurological disease, which results in emaciation and death of the animal. The MDC found 117 positive cases.
The rate of cases appears slightly higher than a year ago, when 86 of 32,000 deer tested positive.
Less than 1 percent of the deer tested positive for CWD, which MDC considers "good news," but it appears to be spreading to new areas of Missouri.