2014's Hottest Topic: EHD

EHD: Flying Death

The main Virginia firearms deer season has come to a close. Ever since the beginning of archery season in October 2014, though,  the hottest topic among both online and in-person discussions in the hunting community kept swaying to the same conclusions - the whitetail population decline due to a suspected outbreak of EHD. So, I've scoured and researched several resources and compiled some facts about this deadly disease to separate the rumors from the facts that you may hear throughout the hunting camp.

Culicoides variipennis

• EHD is transmitted most often by biting midges (Culicoides variipennis), but can also be transmitted via gnats or mosquitos. It is not contagious, or spread from deer-to-deer through mucosal contact. When the female midge bites a deer for blood, the virus is then transmitted. The flies will feed on blood meals up until the first frost in autumn, which kills off the species.
• The first cases of the disease that got the name "EHD" were reported in 1955 in New Jersey, killing about 700 whitetails. However, similar observations in whitetails date back to the 1890s.
• EHD stands for Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease. "Epizootic" is an analogy to the word "epidemic" in humans, except the word "zoo" means "animals;" therefore, it is an epidemic of the animal type. "Hemorrhagic" means "clotting of blood."
  
  
  
• Deer that are bitten by an infected fly start to show symptoms in as little as 7 days. In acute forms of the disease, the deer can become unconscious and die within 8-36 hours. Deer that survive will be sick for several weeks before recovering (yes, they CAN recover!).
• EHD affects many ruminants, including farmed whitetails, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, sheep, and cattle.
  
  
  
  
• Bluetongue disease and EHD are used interchangeably but are in fact two different diseases that impact ruminants. However, both diseases can cause the tongue to turn blue. In the case of EHD, oxygen levels in the blood drop, giving the tongue a bluish hue. In fact, the two diseases are so similar, that biologic testing of the deer is needed to decipher which disease the deer is suffering from.
  
  

  

  Infected buck seeking refuge from hyperthermia

• EHD gives the deer an immense fever. The deer often suffers from an extremely elevated body temperature, so they seek water to lie down in to cool themselves. This is why so many dead deer were found in or near water sources this past season.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• EHD causes inflammation and interruptions in the growth of hoof tissue, which leads to the cracked/broken look of hooves of deer that survive the disease.
  
  
  
• EHD causes a decreased appetite, weight loss, excessive salivation, reduced fear of humans, increased heart rate, and (as mentioned previously) a high fever.
  
  
  
• There is no scientific evidence that humans can contract the disease from the midge, deer, or by eating venison of infected deer. So, enjoy your harvests!
  
  
  
  Currently, there is no way for humans to intervene. EHD is truly "nature's way" of keeping its populations in check and giving full meaning to "survival of the fittest." The best thing we can do is maintain our hunting properties and continue to provide the best nutrition and habitat to our surviving whitetails.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Love this blog? Be sure to visit the Virginia Hunting Forum, Virginia's leading hunting and fishing community on the net! Join in on great discussions there and share your 2014 success!