LANSING — Michigan has confirmed its first cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in 2025, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
According to a Sept. 4 news release, the DNR’s Wildlife Health Section, along with the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, verified the presence of the virus in free-ranging white-tailed deer from Eaton, Jackson, Van Buren and Washtenaw counties. 2Additional detections will be posted on the agency’s EHD webpage as more samples are tested.
EHD is a viral disease transmitted by the bite of an infected midge, or biting fly, and can be fatal for deer. The virus cannot be spread directly between deer. It does not affect humans, pets or other wildlife, and venison from healthy deer remains safe to eat…