CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) — The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) announced today that cases of hemorrhagic disease (HD) have been confirmed in Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie and Wood counties. These counties are in close proximity to counties in Ohio, where the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has also confirmed the disease.
“While seeing sick or dead deer may be concerning, we want to assure the public that HD is a natural, seasonal disease that occurs in deer populations,” said WVDNR Director Brett McMillion. “Our biologists monitor and investigate reports of HD each year, and there is often no difference noticeable by hunters in deer populations following a typical outbreak in West Virginia. These outbreaks should not discourage hunters from enjoying West Virginia’s fall hunting opportunities for deer and other game species.”
WVDNR staff continue to investigate reports of sick deer across the state. Approximately 75 deer have been reported by the public as suspects for HD, which is a viral disease in deer that is spread by small biting flies called midges. Outbreaks are irregular and occur seasonally, usually in late summer and early fall when midge activity is at its highest, and stop after the first hard frost kills the insects.
While HD can cause illness and death in deer, it poses no known health risk to humans and is not known to infect people or household pets. The disease is not spread from deer to deer or by carcasses of deceased deer. Even in areas where HD occurs, not all deer in the area will become infected and not all infected deer will die as a result of infection. Survivors clear the infection, develop antibodies and are immune to future infection by the same virus. While it is never a good idea to consume a sick animal, hunters should note that venison from healthy deer that have recovered from HD poses no human health risks.
This wildlife disease should not be confused with chronic wasting disease (CWD), which is a different disease with long-term impacts on wild deer populations that the WVDNR manages under special regulations. To learn more about CWD and special regulations regarding West Virginia’s CWD containment area, check page 14 in the Hunting Regulations Summary, available to download at WVdnr.gov/hunting-regulations.
Individuals who see sick or dead deer should report the sighting and location to their local WVDNR district office. Contact information for each district office is available at WVdnr.gov/contact.
