Animals in Carbon County have now tested positive for the illness. Chronic wasting disease was first detected in Utah’s mule deer in 2002 in northeastern Utah.
The fatal disease affects the nervous systems of deer, elk and moose, similar to mad cow disease.
Between July 1, 2025, and Feb. 23, 2026, Division of Wildlife Resources biologists tested more than 2,000 samples; 83 were positive for the disease.
The majority were from northeastern and southeastern Utah. However, a sick deer was found in the Scofield area of Carbon County for the first time.
Since 2002 more than 430 mule deer and 11 elk had tested positive for chronic wasting disease in Utah.
Animals infected with the fatal illness develop brain lesions, become emaciated, appear listless and have droopy ears.
The risk of transmission from animals to humans is extremely low but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise against eating the meat of infected animals.
