Illinois has added Putnam, Marshall, Adams, and Peoria counties to its list of chronic wasting disease (CWD)-affected areas, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announced today.

The Putnam, Marshall, and Adams cases of the fatal neurologic disease were detected in February during routine surveillance of hunter-harvested white-tailed deer, while the deer in Peoria County was a 2-year-old showing signs of CWD infection. The deer in Adams County, in west-central Illinois, is the first documented case outside of the state's northern CWD-endemic region.

First documented in Illinois in 2002 in Winnebago County near Roscoe, on the northern border with Wisconsin, CWD has spread to 25 counties. The other affected counties are Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, and Will.

"Illinois is a national leader in managing and slowing the spread of CWD, and over the past two decades IDNR's program has served as a model for other states," IDNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie, MS, said in a news release. 

The IDNR recently revised its CWD management program, launching a 5-year pilot project.

Hunters advised to have deer tested

CWD affects cervids such as deer, elk, and moose, causing signs such as weight loss, drooling, lack of coordination, and lack of fear of people. The disease is caused by infectious misfolded proteins called prions, which spread via direct contact or environmental contamination.

"While the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not linked CWD to human transmission, they recommend against eating meat from CWD-positive deer," the IDNR said. "Hunters are encouraged to have their deer tested and avoid consuming brain, spinal cord, eyes, and other tissues known to harbor the CWD agent."

The World Health Organization (WHO) said today that more than a dozen cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) have been linked to a religious pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

In a disease outbreak update, the WHO said Saudi officials reported 11 confirmed cases of IMD on March 13. All 11 cases were associated with pilgrims who had performed Umrah in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to March 12. All case-patients received treatment in Saudi Arabia and have fully recovered.

In addition, officials with the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional office reported six isolated cases of IMD among people who had recently returned from Umrah.

IMD is a life-threatening bacterial infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis. Symptoms can include sepsis and meningitis and can progress rapidly without prompt, appropriate treatment. Outbreaks are more likely to occur in settings that promote transmission of infection, such as religious pilgrimages like Hajj and Umrah. 

Low vaccine compliance

The WHO notes that while Saudi Arabia has required quadrivalent (four-strain) meningococcal vaccination prior to traveling to the kingdom for Hajj and Umrah in recent years, vaccination compliance for Umrah has declined over the past 2 years, with only 54% of international Umrah pilgrims complying as of March 10.

"Given the recent notification of these cases linked to Umrah, WHO strongly advises all individuals planning to attend mass gatherings such as Hajj and Umrah to receive vaccination against meningococcal disease at least 10 days prior to travel," the agency said.

Last year, 12 cases of IMD associated with Umrah and/or pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia were reported by US, UK, and French officials.