Virus Blamed In Deer Deaths In Hudson Valley

NEW YORK — Two white-tailed deer in Ulster County died recently after contracting epizootic hemorrhagic disease.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation said Wednesday the two deer were found in the town of Esopus. There have been reports of several other dead deer in Dutchess, Ulster and Westchester counties.

Officials said the virus that causes the often-fatal disease is transmitted by biting midges — small bugs other called no-see-ums or "punkies."

The disease is not spread from deer to deer, and humans cannot be infected by deer or bites from midges.

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus was first confirmed in the state in 2007 with relatively small outbreaks in Albany, Rensselaer and Niagara counties and in Rockland County in 2011.

The DEC said, from early September to late October 2020, a large outbreak of the disease occurred in the lower Hudson Valley, centered in Putnam and Orange counties, with an estimated 1,500 deer dying of it.

Health officials said, once infected with the disease, deer usually die within 36 hours.

Outbreaks are most common in the late summer and early fall when midges are abundant.

Symptoms include fever, hemorrhage in muscles of organs and swelling of the head, neck, tongue and lips.

A deer infected with the disease may appear lame or dehydrated. Frequently, infected deer will seek out water sources and many die near a water source.

There is no treatment or means to prevent epizootic hemorrhagic disease. The dead deer do not serve as a source of infection for other animals.

Disease outbreaks don't have a significant long-term impact on deer populations, but deer mortality can be intense in small geographic areas.

It is endemic in the southern states where there are annual outbreaks, so some southern deer have developed immunity. In the northeast, however, outbreaks occur sporadically, so deer in New York have no immunity to the virus.

Consequently, more infected deer in New York are expected to die.

In the north, the first hard frost kills the midges that transmit the disease, ending the outbreak.

Sightings of sick or dying deer should be reported to the nearest DEC regional office or environmental conservation police officer.

The DEC will collect samples from deer and analyze data from deer reports to determine the extent of the outbreak. Additionally, the DEC has alerted Department of Agriculture and Markets veterinarians in the region to be aware of the disease and to report suspicious cases among captive deer.