The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is reporting Michigan’s first detected cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease of 2025.
The DNR confirmed the virus in free-ranging white-tailed deer from Eaton, Jackson, Van Buren and Washtenaw counties. EHD is a viral, sometimes fatal disease that periodically affects Michigan deer. It’s transmitted through the bite of an infected midge or biting fly, officials said.
There is no evidence that humans, household pets or other Michigan wildlife can contract the virus. Venison harvested in areas affected by EHD is safe for consumption, according to the DNR.
EHD typically affects deer in late summer and early fall. Outbreaks can be more severe in years when there is a wet spring followed by a hot, dry summer, the DNR reported.
“In past years when we’ve confirmed EHD, it has typically affected only one or a few counties,” Brent Rudolph, deer, elk and moose management specialist for the DNR Wildlife Division, said in a statement. “Occasionally, localized outbreaks have been detected in a dozen or more counties, including as many as thirty in 2012.”
As samples are submitted from additional counties, any further detections will be posted on the DNR’s website.
If you suspect you have found a deer that has contracted or died from EHD, please submit a Diseased Wildlife report here.
Visible symptoms of EHD in deer include appearing lethargic, disoriented, lame or unresponsive. Deer infected with EHD may also show bloody discharge from the nose and mouth, a swollen or blue-tinged tongue and swelling of the eyelids and around the neck or head.
Once EHD is confirmed in a county, it is not necessary to continue testing for the virus, but the DNR encourages continued reporting of suspected cases online to track the full extent of an outbreak.
Although EHD outbreaks have not shown to have a significant long-term effect on deer populations in Michigan, deer mortality can be intense in small geographic areas and local impact may persist for a few years, officials said.
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