(Area) An outbreak of Epizootic hemorrhagic disease is occurring amongst Iowa’s deer population, particularly in the eastern half of Iowa.
Keith Ringler, Private Land Biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says EHD is a native disease that causes significant morbidity and mortality among deer in North America. He says the virus is transmitted primarily by biting midges. Ringler says the incubation period for developing disease in deer is five to ten days. Ringler says the condition is also called blue tongue in the whitetail deer herd.
Ringler encourages farmers harvesting crops or hunters finding dead deer near a water source to contact the DNR. Ringler says the first hard freeze will eliminate the midges, making this less prevalent through the fall and winter.
