DNR NEWS

Indiana Department of Natural Resources

402 W. Washington St. W255 B

Indianapolis, IN 46204-2748

Phone: (317) 232-4200

Deer disease found in southern Indiana

            Dead deer found in 14 southern Indiana counties likely had the viral disease EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease), according to a testing center in Georgia.

Counties from which the Indiana DNR received reports of diseased dead deer include Clay, Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Green, Jackson, Jefferson, Perry, Pike, Scott, Spencer, Vanderburgh, Warrick and Washington. Areas in Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania have also reported EHD-infected deer this month.

The disease is transmitted by biting insects called midges. EHD is not transmitted to humans and is not normally found in domestic animals, which generally contract a related disease commonly called Blue Tongue instead.

EHD poses no danger to humans from handling, processing or eating the meat of an exposed animal. Hunters should take normal precautions handling all deer. As always, deer meat should be thoroughly cooked to kill any bacteria present.

This disease should not be confused with the unrelated brain disease in deer, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which has never been found in Indiana.

Using samples from some of the deer that were submitted by Indiana DNR wildlife biologists, the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) in Athens, Ga., confirmed that EHD killed at least some of the deer found recently in southern Indiana. Additional samples are being analyzed at SCWDS.

This is the second consecutive year in which the state has had a significant EHD outbreak. This year's is earlier than other times in which EHD has been detected, and earlier than last fall's outbreak, which killed some west-central Indiana deer. The current dry weather provides excellent reproductive conditions for the midge, which could result in significant deer mortality this fall in southern Indiana.

The Indiana DNR does not expect significant deer mortality in the counties where EHD hit hard last fall (Clay, Hendricks, Montgomery, Park, Putnam, Sullivan), because of the residual immunity developed by the animals that survived.

EHD causes severe, flulike symptoms, plus a high fever in deer, apparently causing those infected to seek open water to cool. Sick deer may lose their appetite, coordination and their fear of normal dangers. The animals become dehydrated and progressively weaker as the disease progresses, with mouth and eye tissue often showing a rosy or bluish color. A sick deer will be obvious to someone familiar with what a healthy deer looks like.

"EHD will likely continue to run its course until a few hard freezes kill the biting midges," said Jim Mitchell, DNR deer management biologist. "It’s likely that a good number of deer have been and will be lost."

People in affected areas are asked not to be alarmed by sick deer but to report them to their local district wildlife biologist or conservation officer.

The district wildlife biologist phone numbers for District 12 (Daviess, Pike, DuBois, Martin and Knox counties) is (812) 644-7382; District 15 (Gibson, Warrick, Spencer, Perry, Vanderburgh and Posey), (812) 789-2724; District 13 (Washington, Lawrence, Orange, Crawford and Harrison), (812) 849-4586; District 10 (Jackson, Monroe, Brown, Johnson and Morgan), (812) 526-4891; and District 14 (Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, Floyd and Clark), (812) 346-6888.

The district conservation officer phone numbers are District 7 (Knox, Daviess, Martin, Gibson, Pike, DuBois, Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick and Spencer), (812) 789-9538; District 8 (Lawrence, Jackson, Orange, Washington, Scott, Perry, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd and Clark), (812) 685-2498; and District 9 (Rush, Faytette, Union, Decatur, Franklin, Jennings, Ripley, Dearborn, Jefferson, Switzerland and Ohio), (765) 647-5835.

Additional information about EHD is available at http://www.in.gov/dnr/deerhealth/EHD_Fact_Sheet.pdf.

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