OHIOVILLE, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Game Commission says two deer in western Pennsylvania have died from epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD, and officials suspect samples from three other dead deer will test positive for it.
The disease is transmitted by small biting flies, or midges, which breed in muddy areas and may be more prevalent this year because of drought has lowered water levels in some lakes and streams.
The disease causes respiratory problems, swelling, fever and other problems and is hard to treat because deer typically die within 36 hours of showing symptoms.
Game commission officials say the deer that tested positive were from Ohioville and Greene Township in Beaver County. Deer from Summerhill Township, in Cambria County, and Murrysville and Jeannette in Westmoreland County, likely had EHD, too.
