Deer virus spreads

Disease causes animals to bleed to death; it is not contagious to humans, wildlife officials say

A district wildlife official says more than three dozen white-tailed deer suspected to have been infected with a deadly virus have been reported in Lorain County.

And James Ziemnik, director of Lorain County Metro Parks at 12882 Diagonal Road in LaGrange, said five or six deer suspected of dying of the disease have been found near French Creek area of Black River Reservation.

“We report it to the state, so we suspect that is what they had,” Ziemnik said. “But we don’t have confirmation. We look for any injuries, such as from a bow and arrow, or gunshot wound.

“They didn’t have that. They were near water. I think there were five or six, so far. It’s not a lot, but it’s a buzz in the community.

“Our policy is if there’s a dead deer, we hustle to get it out of there. We don’t want stench, and

we don’t want upset children if they were to see it.”

In August, a whitetailed deer buck from Lorain County was the first recently confirmed case of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD, according to a news release from Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Also, the virus was confirmed in a cow in Jefferson County, according to the natural resources department.

Jamey Emmert, a spokesperson for the natural resources department Division of Wildlife for the Northeast Ohio District in Akron, said the disease causes the animals to bleed to death from within, and is not contagious to humans.

Also, EHD does not spread from animal to animal, Emmert said.

The virus is spread by a tiny insect, a midge, that carries the virus and bites the deer, cattle or sheep, she said.

Infections usually happen in Ohio in late summer

and early fall through the first hard frost, which kills the midges, Emmert said.

Significant disease outbreaks in Ohio have occurred every five years, the last in 2012, according to the news release.

Numerous dead deer have been reported in Columbiana and Jefferson counties, the release said.

Deer may show symptoms such as lethargy, head hung down, loss of fear of humans, swelling of the tongue, head and neck, difficulty breathing, excess salivation, ulcers in the mouth, fever and dehydration.

Affected deer often are found in or near bodies of water because of the dehydration, Emmert said.

Signs in cattle and sheep also include swelling of the muzzle, oral erosions, salivation, off feed condition and fever, according to the release.

The virus may mimic other reportable diseases such as foot and mouth disease, bluetongue and vesicular stomatitis.

Lorain police Officer Rick Broz said he has not found sick or dead deer in the city recently.

People are cautioned against touching or handling sick or dead wild animals, according to the release.

However, it is helpful for sick or dead deer to be reported by calling 800- 945-3543 or by sending an email to wildinfo@ dnr.state.oh.us or by visiting an Ohio Department of Natural Resources Facebook page.

Helpful information includes where the deer was found, whether a water source is nearby and if multiple dead deer were found, Emmert said.