"Hemorrhagic Disease is often called either Blue Tongue Disease or Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD). Blue Tongue and EHD are separate diseases, but run so closely together in blood test that they are sometimes impossible to tell apart. This disease occurs mostly in sheep, but has also been found in cattle, goats, buffalo, antelope, and deer. Outbreaks in the U.S. occur in deer almost yearly in the Southeastern States.
This disease is spread by biting midges like flies or gnats. Some of the symptoms of this disease are high fever, excessive salivation, and swelling of the facial area and tongue. The blue tongue that gives the disease its name occurs only in a small number of cases. Once the deer is bitten and infected with the virus most symptoms will began to show within a few weeks. The death rate is usually low but tends to more noticeable in seasons of high temperatures and little rain. When a deer is infected with the virus their extremely careful nature is often changed. They move toward water and shade to try to comfort themselves from the high fever. They are less fearful of humans, and lose their appetite for food. Death can come from hemorrhages of the heart or other glands and starvation. The disease is nontransferable to humans. It can only be carried by biting insects infected with the disease.
The year 2007 was a rough year for deer contracting this disease. Farmers and hunters across the southeast have been finding high numbers of dead deer. Mostly in shaded areas, such as barns and outbuildings, or cool areas around ponds. Even though they say this disease cannot be transferred to humans, I will be careful to closely examine my deer to make sure no lesions or other abnormalities appear. If you find any areas of concern on deer you are considering putting on the dinner table please contact your local game warden to have it checked out."
www.deerhunterclub.com siteThe first occurrence and subsequent identification of EHD occurred in 1955 when several hundred white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) succumbed in both New Jersey and in Michigan.
mich.gov websiteIt can be past on from other deer: Experimentally, the disease can be transmitted to susceptible deer by the inoculation of virus-laden material from infected deer by subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous or oral routes.... The EHD virus can infect domestic animals but rarely causes disease.... In all probability the virus does not infect humans.
mich.gov websiteJust put some calls in to Mich. DNR biologists, they said that if the deer has been found within the last month (back until the first frost, here in SW mich, was mid Oct.) All deer would have died within '2 weeks' (of frost date) since all insects carrying the disease would have died off, hence not transmitting the disease anymore. Biologist was quite clear that "the two diseases are similar but this deer was not likely bluetongue case, since it was just recently found."
But, a call back was needed, when I forgot to ask, if infected deer through breeding and other ways of transmitting could carry the disease and pass it on before death... Biologist said that "the big words that they use on the website are misleading "if the deer are IV'd (injected) with the disease (which they have done with experiments) then they will carry the disease and either die or if they survive, carry the disease and grow an immunity to it, which they may pass on to their offspring." He said he hasn't done that research but said that another county was positive to those effects. Laughingly he said, "if deer are out there injected each other with the virus in the woods then yes we'd have a huge amount of dead deer."
He also stated that that is why there isn't a large outbreak during rut or other times of the year, infected deer would have been seen laying everywhere, if it was a shared disease before the mating season started.
