DEC: Disease that kills deer is approaching region
Sep. 17—Cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, typically a fatal disease for deer, have been confirmed or suspected in local counties, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced Thursday, Sept. 16.
A confirmed case has been found Ulster County and Greene County. Confirmed cases have also been found in Columbia, Dutchess, Nassau, Oswego and Suffolk counties. Suspected cases have been found in Albany and Sullivan counties, which share borders with Schoharie and Delaware, respectively, as well as Jefferson, Oneida, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland and Westchester counties.
To date, DEC has received reports of about 700 dead deer.
EHD is transmitted by biting midges, small insects sometimes called no-see-ums or "punkies." The disease is not spread from deer to deer, and humans cannot be infected by deer or bites from midges.
EHD virus was confirmed in New York deer in 2007, with small outbreaks in Albany, Rensselaer and Niagara counties, according to a DEC media release, and again in Rockland County in 2011. From early September to late October 2020, a large EHD outbreak occurred in the lower Hudson Valley, centered in Putnam and Orange counties, with an estimated 1,500 deer mortalities.
Once infected with EHD virus, deer usually die within 36 hours. EHD outbreaks are most common in the late summer and early fall when midges are abundant, although initial cases this year were detected in late July, the release said. Signs of the EHD virus include fever, hemorrhage in muscles or organs, and swelling of the head, neck, tongue and lips. A deer infected with EHD may appear lame or dehydrated. Frequently, infected deer will seek out water sources and many succumb near a water source. There is no treatment or means to prevent EHD.
EHD has been in New York since July, and has had time to circulate and spread, the release said, and it has been more widespread this year than during previous outbreaks.
EHD outbreaks do not have a significant long-term impact on regional deer populations, according to the release, but deer mortality can be significant in small geographic areas. EHD is endemic in the southern states, which report annual outbreaks, so some southern deer have developed immunity. In the northeast, EHD outbreaks occur sporadically and deer in New York have no immunity to this virus. Consequently, most EHD-infected deer in New York are expected to die. The first hard frost is expected to kill the midges that transmit the disease, ending the EHD outbreak.
Sightings of sick or dead deer suspected of having EHD can be reported to DEC via at dec.ny.gov/animals/123773.html, or by contacting the nearest DEC Regional Wildlife Office. DEC will continue to collect samples from deer and analyze data from deer reports to determine the extent of the outbreak, the release said In addition, DEC has alerted Department of Agriculture and Markets veterinarians in the region to be aware of the disease and to report suspicious cases among captive deer.
For more information, visit DEC's EHD webpage at dec.ny.gov/animals/123773.html or Cornell University's Wildlife Health Lab website at cwhl.vet.cornell.edu/disease/epizootic-hemorrhagic-disease.
