It is September 2024, and after a long day, you decide to go for a nice, relaxing walk outdoors to clear your mind. Suddenly, you get a whiff of the stench of rotting flesh. But from where is this stench coming? This stench is coming from the deer dying in overwhelming numbers due to a recent epidemic. The disease that has been hitting Porter County deer so hard this year is called epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD). 

How exactly is this disease spreading so fast? More importantly: Can it affect humans? This deadly disease is spread by biting midges (genus Culicoides), also known as Ceratopigonidae, or “no-see-ums.” These insects are similar to mosquitoes but don’t have a proboscis (the long, straw-like mouth of a mosquito). While Biting Midges do bite humans, EHD cannot spread to humans. White-tail deer have been dying in large numbers because of this disease, particularly around sources of water. This is because EHD causes fever-like symptoms in deer. Some other symptoms of EHD include edema, swollen head, neck, tongue, or eyelids, loss of appetite, weakness, fear of humans, and other neurological issues. 

According to Cornell Wildlife Health lab, deer with this disease generally begin to show symptoms around 7 days after the disease is contracted. They usually die 8-36 hours after showing symptoms. According to the DNR, EHD “can only be diagnosed by a qualified laboratory using blood or internal tissues such as the spleen and lung. Indiana DNR tracks the cases of EHD.” 

According to a map displaying the DNR’s data, the majority of counties in Indiana have less than two reported cases of the disease, while Porter County has over 240, which is the largest number in all of the state. Some other counties with a high number of cases are Wabash with 117 cases and Allen with 89 cases. In 2024 alone, 627 Indiana deer have died of this illness. 

While EHD does occur naturally in the deer population every year, it poses the question of why there are so many cases this year, and why specifically in northwest Indiana. One reason that could explain this is the weather. 2024 has been very hot with little precipitation. This along with the fact that this past winter was very mild, meaning that many bugs didn’t die off like they usually do, could explain why EHD is hitting so hard this year. EHD has a 90% fatality rate when the infected deer is showing clinical symptoms. This means that the white-tailed deer population in Porter County will be severely declining this fall.

Many wonder how this decline in deer population will affect the community. Porter County has already seen the effects of the forests overflowing with dead deer. Many people have been complaining about the stench around local forests. Hunters may be discouraged from hunting white-tailed deer this season or even seasons to come. This is because the deer population needs time to recover from the extreme decline in their numbers. According to Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, it is possible that domestic dogs can catch this disease. 

Does this mean you should keep your animals inside all fall? Not necessarily, however, if anyone begins to see signs of illness within their pet, see a vet right away. It is likely that many plants that deer eat will become overgrown, and lots of mushrooms will begin popping up frequently because of the carcasses. 

If you see a dead deer, please stay away from it and report it to the DNR online if you believe the death is related to EHD. Dead animals are dangerous because of the possible bacteria that are growing on them, so do not touch the dead deer. The DNR is taking online reports from people who believe to have discovered a dead or diseased deer, every report helps them gather more information about EHD. 

In conclusion, Porter County may be seeing the effects of this disease for years to come, but research is being done that should eventually help slow the spread of the disease that is ravaging our white-tailed deer population.