The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports it has confirmed 243 new cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Missouri deer in 35 counties. Seven of those counties had their first CWD-positive case: Audrain, Callaway, Lewis, Marion, Miller, Morgan, and Texas.The CWD-positive cases were found through sampling and testing of more than 36,000 deer during the past deer-hunting season and post-season targeted-removal efforts with most cases being from hunter-harvested deer submitted for sampling.Missouri has an estimated population of more than 1.5 million white-tailed deer in the state.