Discovered in Dover Plains, DEC says
The state Department of Environmental Conservation said on Aug. 17 that it has confirmed that a white-tailed deer found dead in Dutchess County was killed by Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease.
The deer was found in Dover Plains. It marked the first confirmation of EHD in the state in 2022; the agency is investigating reports of other dead deer in Dutchess that may have had the illness.
The EHD virus is transmitted by biting midges; it does not spread from deer to deer and humans cannot be infected by deer or bites from midges.
The virus was first seen in upstate New York in 2007, and in Rockland County in 2011. In 2020, an outbreak centered on Putnam and Orange counties, with reports of about 1,500 dead deer. In 2021, the DEC received more than 2,000 reports of dead deer, including in Dutchess.
Once infected, a deer may appear lame or dehydrated and usually dies within 36 hours. Outbreaks are most common in the late summer and early fall. Sightings of sick or dying deer should be reported online at bit.ly/EHD-report.
