According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the disease has spread to 26 states, including Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi.

“It’s actually considered the biggest disease threat to members of the deer family in the world,” said Johnathan Bordelon, deer program manager for LDWF.

Bordelon said CWD has not proven to be harmful to humans at this time, but that it’s still concerning from a natural resource standpoint.

LDFW has taken several measures to prevent CWD from coming to the state, ranging from banning the importing of live deer from other states to regulations on what parts of a deer carcass can be brought into Louisiana, and, as of July 2, a ban on deer urine products used for hunting.