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Hunters Helped needed for Hemmorragic insects transmitted Deer in Pennsylvania
Published: September 26, 2007 12:10 am <!-- icons --> <!-- icons -->
Deer disease found in region
The Tribune-Democrat
All thanks to Amish Country
The Pennsylvania Game Commission confirmed Tuesday that an insect-borne disease responsible for the deaths of at least 1,000 deer this summer in western Pennsylvania has spread to the outskirts of Johnstown.Deer disease found in region
The Tribune-Democrat
All thanks to Amish Country
Since August, the agency has discovered epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in Beaver, Greene and Washington counties. On Tuesday, it announced that it had also discovered EHD in Allegheny County and in Westmoreland County?s St. Clair Township, which includes Seward and portions of New Florence.
In a statement made on Sept. 19, PGC Southwest Region Director Matt Hough asked people to report sick or dead deer to the agency as soon as possible to help judge the extent of the damage.
?Though difficult to determine the precise number of deer that have died from EHD, our officers? observations and those of concerned citizens suggest the number exceeds 1,000 animals at this time and could increase,? he said at that time.
?An actual body count of afflicted deer is almost impossible to obtain, because tissue samples must be extracted within 24 hours of death to be suitable for conducting tests. There is rapid decomposition of affected deer and the area where the outbreak is occurring is large.?
Game commission wildlife veterinarian Walter Cottrell described the symptoms of EHD as excessive drooling, weakness and a loss of fear of humans. He said the virus usually kills the affected animal within five to 10 days.
Cottrell said the disease is spread by ?biting midges? and is common in white-tailed deer populations. But, the game commission said, EHD occurs less often in more northern states such as Pennsylvania, so our deer have less natural immunity. Cottrell said EHD is not infectious to humans, but affected deer are usually not edible because of the rapid deterioration of the meat and secondary bacterial infection.
?While there is no evidence that humans are at risk from EHD, other diseases may be transmitted by careless hygiene when processing deer,? Cottrell said.
?As a routine precaution, all hunters are encouraged to wear rubber or latex gloves when handling or field-dressing any animal, and wash their hands and tools thoroughly after field dressing. As with any wild game, meat should always be thoroughly cooked.?
EHD was suspected in 1996, when about 25 deer were found dead in Adams County, but tests were unable to confirm the cause. The disease was first confirmed in Pennsylvania in 2002, when an outbreak caused the death of 70 deer in Greene and Washington counties.
?This outbreak of EHD is more significant than the one in 2002 and has impacted more deer in a larger area,? Cottrell said in a prepared statement. ?The fact that we are finding EHD earlier this year means that it will take longer before the first good frost, which is what is needed to kill the insects responsible for spreading the virus.?
EHD also was confirmed in Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin during the 2002 outbreak.
This year, numerous other states also have been hit, including Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and West Virginia.
The game commission also reported evidence of EHD in domestic cattle in southwestern Ohio. Hot, dry weather that benefits midges is being blamed for the increase in most of those areas.
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