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First frost should end outbreak of EHD disease in deer Adair, Metcalfe, and Cumberland counties among those affected Kentucky's first frost in the coming weeks should put an end to the state's outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in deer. Biting midges or gnats, which transmit the virus that causes the disease, die off with the first hard freeze. Kentucky's first frost of the season typically occurs from late September to mid-October. A map showing the 72 EHD suspect counties includes Adair, Metcalfe, and Cumberland Counties, but not Green, Taylor, Casey, or Russell Counties in the immediate 7-county Greater Adair County area. To view the map, Click here Biologists with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources report this year's outbreak of hemorrhagic disease is the worst in at least 30 years. Similar outbreaks have been reported this year in Tennessee, Indiana, West Virginia, Virginia and southwest Pennsylvania. "Hemorrhagic disease is caused by a virus. We see large outbreaks about every five to seven years in Kentucky," said Danny Watson, a wildlife biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. In Kentucky, the disease is responsible for the deaths of white-tailed deer in at least 76 Kentucky counties this year. The most significant outbreak appears to be in Western Kentucky, where all 25 counties of the Green River Wildlife Region and most counties in the Purchase Region have received reports from landowners accounting for over 700 dead deer. The virus is also on the increase in Central Kentucky, where 20 counties have been confirmed to have dead deer. People usually find the dead or weak and emaciated deer near water. "This year's statewide drought could be playing a role in the outbreak, said Karen Alexy, wildlife division director for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. "Dry conditions are concentrating deer near water sources, increasing the chances of midges biting infected animals then transmitting the disease to healthy deer nearby." The virus cannot be spread from a deer carcass. With opening of archery season, hunters are concerned about the safety of eating deer that may be infected with hemorrhagic disease. Hemorrhagic disease is not infectious to humans. Eating the meat of deer that appear to be healthy poses no risk to humans even if the deer is infected with EHD. However, hunters should not consume animals that appear emaciated or weak prior to harvest, due to the risk of secondary infections. EHD can cause large abscesses to form in the body cavity, muscle tissue or under the skin. These abscesses render the meat inedible. Hemorrhagic disease usually occurs in late summer and early fall because of the increased presence of these gnats. Although deer affected with the acute form of hemorrhagic disease are most often seen in late summer, deer with chronic cases can be found in winter. Hunters should be aware that they may see weak or emaciated deer during the hunting season after these widespread outbreaks and should not harvest deer that do not appear healthy. Hemorrhagic disease occurs annually in the southeastern United States, but its distribution and severity of occurrence widely varies. Less than 25 percent of the deer in a population usually die from the disease, but death rates can be higher in certain cases. Signs of the disease depend on the strength of the virus and length of infection in the animal. Hemorrhagic disease causes fever, labored breathing and swelling of the head, neck, tongue and eyelids. Infected deer may die within 72 hours, or may slowly deteriorate for months from lameness and starvation. Early in the cycle of the disease, animals may show little or no sign of infection. Infected deer that survive for a longer period of time experience lameness, loss of appetite and greatly reduced activity. According to veterinary staff of the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia, the incidence of hemorrhagic disease agents in livestock is more difficult to assess. Most hemorrhagic virus infections in cattle are from the related bluetongue virus, and livestock typically do not show symptoms. However, a small percentage of animals can develop lameness, sore mouths and reproductive problems. Cattle can be short-term bluetongue virus carriers. Less is known about the EHD virus in cattle. EHD virus has been isolated from sick cattle, and surveys have shown that cattle often have antibodies to this virus, indicating frequent exposure. For domestic sheep, the situation is more straightforward. Sheep are generally unaffected by EHD but bluetongue can be a serious disease with similar effects as in deer. Past observations have revealed that simultaneous infections sometimes occur in deer, cattle and sheep. Discovery of illness in deer indicates that infected biting gnats are present in the vicinity, and thus, both deer and livestock are at risk of infection. Once virus activity begins, both livestock and deer potentially serve to fuel an outbreak; however, the spread of disease from deer to livestock, or vice versa, has not been proven. Furthermore, deer have not been documented as long-term carriers for EHD or bluetongue viruses. Farmers who discover deer carcasses near ponds or livestock watering sources should remove them from the immediate area. Since hemorrhagic disease cannot be transmitted from a dead animal, it is not necessary to bury a carcass. The carcass can provide food for scavengers.From Commonwealth News Center This story was posted on 2007-09-16 10:04:55
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