Wild deer in Stearns County fall prey to midge-borne virus
The first two cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD, in wild white-tailed deer in Minnesota were confirmed Wednesday, according to state officials.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced that two deer in Stearns County tested positive for EHD and suspect several have recently died in the St. Stephen area. The viral disease, spread by a biting insect called a midge, causes infected deer to die from internal lesions and hemorrhages within 36 hours of showing symptoms.
EHD first surfaced in Minnesota in October 2018 after the Minnesota Board of Animal Health confirmed six deer on a farm in Goodhue County tested positive for the disease. Two captive deer in Houston County were confirmed to have EHD on Sept. 5, though unrelated to the cases in Stearns County.
“EHD is both naturally occurring and seasonal,” DNR wildlife research manager Lou Cornicelli said. “Given our cold temperatures, we can expect to see a shortened period of infection as frost will kill both the virus and midge that carries it.”
Surrounding states report EHD-related deaths almost every year, which can have a short-term but dramatic impact on deer population levels. Several hundred deer have been killed in the south-central area of Iowa due to an outbreak of the midge-borne virus this year, according to the DNR.
While EHD is not a threat to humans or other animals, the DNR encourages anyone who finds a dead deer to report it to the nearest DNR area wildlife office.
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