MICHIGAN, USA —
Deer in West Michigan are dying in groups due to Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, or EHD. The deer become infected when bitten by a midge fly.
EHD is not uncommon and is not a concern, said Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) acting deer biologist Chad Fedewa. He said yearly outbreaks have hit the lower peninsula for the past decade.
“It's more regular the last decade or so,” Fedewa said. “And most deer, it doesn't emerge until this time of year, so mid, late September, and then it only has a few weeks to run its course before you have a good frost that kills these flies that transmit the virus.”
EHD is transmitted by a midge fly that likes to reproduce in areas with mud. Because of the recent lack of rain in southern Michigan, Fedewa said the receding waterways expose the mud.
Once a deer is infected, they can appear lethargic, dazed, have swollen eyes and tongue, and run a fever. The fever causes them to seek water to cool down, which is why it is common to see EHD infected dear in water ways.
This EHD outbreak isn’t as big as the outbreak in 2012, but Fedewa said this year it is a little more pronounced.
“In areas where it's circulating, it can have a pretty drastic effect on a local deer population and kill many deer in a small area, but you could go just a few miles away to an area that doesn't have those environmental conditions that sustain this fly and you don't see an impact,” he said.
The virus cannot be transmitted to humans or pets. Deer can only be infected by a midge bite and cannot pass the disease on to another deer.
“The only way this virus is transmitted is through the bite of the flies to the deer. It's not transmitted from deer to deer or from the environment to deer, and it's not transmitted through to humans or pets or livestock,” he said. “There's no safety concern from that perspective, fortunately, in areas that have high mortality, there are going to be a lot of deer carcasses laying around.”
Hunters can also hunt at ease. Fedewa said healthy looking deer are okay to hunt and its venison is completely safe. But the population dying from EHD may affect hunting season in some areas.
There is no way to treat or stop EHD. Fedewa said landowners can do what they see fit when they come across a dead deer, but also encouraged them to report it through the state’s Eyes in the Field report form.