EHD is found as far north as Fulton County Pennsylvania
This is the most northern case of Epizootic Hemorragic Disease that I have heard of so far. It is something that we all should be aware of and learn about.
Infectious Deer Disease Confirmed In County
EHD will not be problem following frost
11/21/07
By Chanin Rotz-Mountz
STAFF WRITER
Fulton County became the first county in the southcentral region of the state to receive positive test results confirming the presence of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in its wild, free-roaming whitetail population.
Commonly known as EHD, epizootic hemorrhagic disease is a common infectious disease affecting deer found in the eastern section of the nation. It cannot be transferred to humans and only sporadically affects other animals.
The virus, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission officials, is “spread from animal to animal via biting midges living in or near water and wet, muddy areas. The midges transmit the virus as they feed.â€
To date this year, EHD has been confirmed in wild deer located in the Pennsylvania counties of Allegheny, Beaver, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland. In addition to announcing the presence of EHD in select whitetail of the commonwealth’s deer herds, the Pennsylvania Game Commission only recently announced the discovery of EHD in farm-raised deer in neighboring Franklin County.
Fulton County Wildlife Conservation Officer Kevin Mountz revealed to the “Newsâ€â€ˆon Thursday, officers were called to a Belfast Township farm along Mountain Road in mid-October in reference to two does that had perished along a stream bed. The deer were located by the landowner and transported by officers to the Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Services division in Harrisburg within 24 hours of dying, making select lung tissue and blood sample specimens viable for diagnostic testing.
Results from the Department of Agriculture indicated both antlerless deer, which were in visibly good health, were positive for EHD. Mountz related several calls have been made by concerned county residents pertaining to possible affected deer, but the animals could not be tested due to the limited window for testing and obtaining specimens.
According to the Game Commission, outbreaks of EHD typically occur in late summer or early fall, especially if the weather has been unseasonably warm and dry, causing deer to flock to water sources. Several hard frosts have struck the area in recent weeks killing the disease-carrying midges, Mountz stated, and as a result it is extremely unlikely there will be additional cases of EHD in Fulton County during the remainder of 2007.
In the initial stages of EHD, whitetail may show symptoms of lethargy, disorientation, lameness and unresponsiveness to humans. As the disease progresses, deer may drool, have sores on the mouth, blue tongues and even bloody discharge from the nostrils. They often become thin and stop eating and drinking. They are, however, attracted to water in connection with suffering from high fevers.
Game Commission officials concluded even though EHD cannot be transmitted to humans, secondary infections in the affected whitetail may make the meat inÂedible or unfit for consumption. Hunters should refrain from shooting or eating deer that appear sickly.