NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Reports of hemorrhagic disease have been confirmed in eight counties across the Volunteer State, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Association.
The disease is naturally-occurring and can be caused by either epizootic hemorrhagic disease and bluetongue viruses, which are transmitted by biting midges — also called no-see-ums — and is not known to cause disease in humans, per the TWRA.
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Though hemorrhagic disease happens every season, severity varies. Outbreaks can be linked to environmental conditions that affect midges’ life cycles. The TWRA noted that years of heavy rain in spring and early summer with dry conditions in late summer, like what’s happened in Tennessee this year, can create more favorable conditions for midge reproduction and higher midge populations.
Symptoms of the disease in deer include:
- Fatigue
- Respiratory distress
- Swollen tongue
- Mouth sores
- Fever
- Sloughing of hooves, which could cause lameness
Deer may also become thin and have their tongues hanging from their mouths. They may drool excessively and not be afraid of humans. Typically, the TWRA said you may find sick, dying or dead deer near water sources as they try to relieve their fever. Notably, though, not all deer that succumb to hemorrhagic disease will look sick…