FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Ohio officials have confirmed the state’s first-ever case of EHD in cattle, a state agriculture department spokesperson said last week.

Six Ohio counties – Highland, Monroe, Muskingum, Noble, Pike and Washing-ton – have confirmed cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), a virus spread by biting insects, said Melissa Brewer, the department’s public information officer.

“We’ve been getting the word out to producers to let them know it’s on the radar screen,” she said. “If they see any symptoms in their cattle, we want them to let their veterinarians know, to verify what it is. If they need to, they can spray to get rid of the insects to help stop the spread.”

EHD has been found in whitetail deer in 20 Ohio counties, most of them in the southern and central parts of the state, she said. The region’s dry weather is a major factor in the spread of the disease this year, she said.

During dry weather, deer and cattle tend to use common watering holes, and the close proximity makes it easier for the disease to be spread, Brewer said. The disease is spread by biting insects called midges, and is not spread directly from one animal to another. EHD is not harmful to humans and cannot be transmitted to humans, she said.

Indiana has seen some spillover of EHD into the state’s cattle population, said Denise Derrer, public information officer for the state’s Board of Animal Health.

In whitetail deer, EHD symptoms mimic flu-like symptoms, such as high fever, Derrer said. Infected deer become dehydrated and are often seen gulping water.

“The symptoms can be similar in cattle, but there are some differences,” she said. “Infected cattle have a consistent fever, and develop lesions around the mouth, and they can appear stiff or lame.”

Because the symptoms of EHD are similar to other diseases, such as bluetongue and foot-and-mouth disease, it’s important that producers alert their veterinarians if they observe such symptoms in their cattle, she said.

“EHD can often end up looking like a foreign animal disease, and lab tests are the only way to confirm that it’s EHD and not something else,” Derrer said. “We want to investigate every case because if we would miss even one case of foreign animal disease, it could have a severe effect on trade.”

Deer hunters should use rubber gloves in dealing with dead animals, but no other precautions are necessary, she said. Properly handled and cooked meat may be consumed with no problems. Cattle stricken with EHD typically recover in a few weeks, she said. Kentucky cattle producers are also dealing with cases of EHD in their herds. The outbreak in deer in the state is probably the worst in 30 years, according to an Associated Press article. About 1,100-1,200 deer have died of the disease so far, and it has been found in 20-30 cattle that died recently, the article stated.

Illinois has seen EHD in the deer population but not in cattle, said Jeff Squibb, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The 28 counties with reports of EHD are generally in the central and southern part of the state.

“In the years we’ve had bigger EHD outbreaks like this one, it’s been years with unusually dry weather conditions,” Squibb said. “A lot of the shallow creeks and ponds normally used as watering holes have dried up, meaning the deer have to congregate in bigger numbers around smaller bodies of water. Those are the kinds of conditions that cause the disease to spread.”

The extent of the disease won’t be known until after deer hunting season is well underway, he said.

“When the hunters go out, they will be finding dead deer in the wild everywhere,” he said.

The disease will probably continue to spread until the midges die during the first killing frost, Brewer said.

This farm news was published in the Oct. 10, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.