The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Disease Laboratory and the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed that a free-ranging white-tailed deer in Genesee County has died from epizootic hemorrhagic disease.
EHD is a viral disease, sometimes fatal, found in wild ruminants such as white-tailed deer, mule deer and elk.
There is no evidence that humans can contract the EHD virus.
The disease is transmitted by a type of biting fly called a midge.
Infection does not always result in the disease. Signs of illness within infected animals are highly variable ranging from none at all to extensive internal bleeding.
Due to a high fever and dehydration, infected deer often seek water to lower their body temperature and to rehydrate, then are found sick or dead near or in bodies of water.
"Although this has been a single deer death at this point, we are asking for hunters to look around as they hit the field to let us know if they find dead deer, especially any near water," said Tom Cooley, DNR wildlife pathologist.
There is no known effective treatment for, or control of, EHD in wild populations. The disease has been seen for decades in many areas of the United States.
Property owners or recreationists who discover dead deer should report it through the DNR's sick or dead bird mammal reporting form.
