Disease That Kills Deer On The Rise In IL

ILLINOIS — An insect-borne disease that can be fatal to deer is seeing an upswing so far this year in Illinois, according to authorities.

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease had been reported in 43 counties as of Tuesday, mainly in the southern and central areas of the state, according to Chris Jacques, program manager for wildlife disease, large carnivores and invasive species at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The number of suspected deaths is in the hundreds, he said Wednesday.

“While we are seeing an increase in suspected cases compared to last year, there is no evidence that deer mortality has reached the record outbreak recorded in 2012, during which time nearly 3,000 deer from 87 counties were reported,” Jacques said in an email.

“Nevertheless, further geographic expansion of suspected EHD mortalities across the state is possible, in which case 2024 may be recorded in the top 4 outbreaks during the past 20 years.”

The disease was reported last year in 18 counties, according to OutdoorIllinois Journal, which noted outbreaks occur from August to October, particularly in years with hot, dry summers.

It is unlikely this year’s rise in cases will have population-level impacts on the state’s deer, according to Jacques.

Deer contract the disease from the Culicoides biting gnat, and outbreaks are typically ended by the season’s first insect-killing frost, the Journal reported, adding the illness cannot be transmitted from deer to deer nor is it considered hazardous to humans or pets.

For deer, symptoms arise about a week after the bite and include swelling around the head and neck, sluggishness, difficulty breathing, fever, lost appetite and salivation, according to the Journal, which reported death can take hours to weeks, with some deer making a full recovery.