Epizootic hemorrhagic disease and bluetongue virus detected in white-tailed deer in North Idaho
Laboratory tests confirmed epizootic hemorrhagic disease and bluetongue virus in white-tailed deer in North Idaho.
Idaho Department of Fish and Game
In recent weeks, laboratory tests confirmed epizootic hemorrhagic disease and bluetongue virus in white-tailed deer in North Idaho. Deer from the Clearwater Region tested positive for EHD, while deer from the Panhandle Region tested positive for both diseases.
Although the two diseases are different, they are closely related. Both are a type of hemorrhagic disease spread by small biting flies, known as midges, which reproduce in and around warm, stagnant water. This summer’s conditions likely created situations where midge populations “boomed” around limited water sources, leading to increased risk when deer gather at them.