Deer disease worries North Dakota wildlife officials – and it’s not CWD
A large-scale outbreak could impact hunting in the region this fall.
A large-scale outbreak could impact hunting in the region this fall.
EHD can be fatal to deer but is not a threat to human health.
Although not confirmed, EHD is suspected in the death of other nearby deer.
The DNR suspects several deer in the St. Stephen area have recently died from EHD. Tests from two of the deer were positive for EHD; other deer were too decomposed to test.
St. Paul, Minn. – Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) has been confirmed in two white-tailed farmed deer in Houston County after the owner submitted samples because of their suspicious deaths. The virus is transmitted by biting midges and was first confirmed in Minnesota deer in 2018 on a white-tailed deer farm in Goodhue County. Most deer die within 36 hours of exhibiting clinical signs of EHD. “The two deer were part of a herd of 60 white-tailed…
The worst year for the disease in Illinois was 2012, when 2,968 cases were reported from 87 counties. In 2013, the IDNR received reports of 1,224 cases from 64 counties. EHD was virtually absent in 2014 and at low levels in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
Six of seven animals in a small herd of captive white-tailed deer in Goodhue County died of the disease earlier this month.
55 EHD-reported cases from 17 counties so far in 2018.
According to the DNR, 66 reports of EHD were received from landowners and hunters totaling 169 deer in 32 counties. By comparison, in 2012, the worst year for EHD in Illinois, a total of 2,968 dead deer were reported in 87 counties.
No cases of EHD were confirmed in the state in either 2014 or 2015, and minimal cases were reported in 2016.
EHD was recently confirmed by laboratory analysis in a white-tailed deer in eastern Harding County and a white-tailed deer in western Butte County.