We’re posting this because deer seasons have opened around the country. Please consider sharing it with local media to encourage hunters and livestock producers to be on the lookout for deer, particularly whitetail deer, and livestock exhibiting symptoms. EHD is a reportable disease in North Dakota where drought has caused many producers to relocate their cattle.
The virus that causes EHD is closely related to the Bluetongue virus and is transmitted via insects belonging to the Culicoides species of midges, also known as no-see-ums.” – Gerald L. Stokka, DVM, MS
Although the EHD virus is not a risk to human health, under no circumstances should deer exhibiting signs of illness be harvested for consumption.
Source: Drovers, October 19, 2021. Link. Signs of the disease in deer include: high fever, lack of appetite, respiratory distress and edema of the head and neck. There is congestion of the mucosal surfaces of the mouth along with ulcers and erosions of the tongue, palate, rumen and abomasum.