ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Georgia’s statewide deer firearms season opens this weekend.

Wildlife officials are asking them to be on alert for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a fatal illness now confirmed in Georgia’s deer population.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said CWD has been detected in deer in Berrien, Lanier, and Lowndes counties. The neurological disease destroys a deer’s brain over time and can spread through saliva, soil and carcasses.

“With chronic wasting disease, it doesn’t tend to show up until 18 to 30 months afterwards,” said Dr. Jesse Maestas, a wildlife disease specialist with Georgia DNR. “Hunters may not see it right away, but it’s something we need to keep in mind.”

CWD has not been shown to infect people, but the Centers for Disease

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