The DNR confirms a tissue sample collected from a deer in La Crosse County tested positive for the virus that causes epizootic hemorrhagic disease. The disease was detected after a landowner reported eight dead deer on a 200-acre property south of La Crosse.
The virus that causes epizootic hemorrhagic disease can be carried by midges, which are small flies also known as biting gnats or no-see-ums. The virus does not infect humans even if a person handles infected deer, eats venison from infected deer or are bitten by infected midges.
Signs of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in deer include excessive salivation or foaming around the nose and mouth, appearing weak and approachable by humans, and carcasses found in or near water sources, as infected deer will often lay in water to cool down or drink.
To report a sick or dead deer, contact your county wildlife biologist. If epizootic hemorrhagic disease is suspected, fresh samples will need to be collected within a day or two of death to be useful for detecting the virus. Those reporting suspected cases will need to provide details about the condition of the deer, its exact location and the condition of the carcass.
The DNR will not collect or remove deer that are suspected to have died from epizootic hemorrhagic disease.
Carcasses from deer that die of epizootic hemorrhagic disease are not a threat to spreading the disease to other deer, as the virus does not survive for long once an infected deer dies. The DNR advises against handling any found deer carcasses as other pathogens harmful to humans could be present.
“We’re grateful that the public is tuned in to the herd’s health and quick to report these mortalities,” says Paul Napierala, the DNR’s wildlife biologist for La Crosse County. “Keep reporting sick or dead deer. Your observations help us evaluate the potential geographic distribution and number of deer affected by this disease.”
The disease is common in the southern and western U.S. It occasionally shows up in the Midwest. The disease is short-lived; deer die of epizootic hemorrhagic disease within a week of infection typically.
Last fall, there were small outbreaks of less than 50 deer each in Oconto and Buffalo counties. In fall of 2019, a disease outbreak in Crawford and six surrounding counties affected about 300 deer. A single case was reported in 2017.
