Game and Fish has confirmed a disease event affecting some mule deer in the Yavapai Hills community and surrounding areas near Prescott. After receiving reports in recent weeks from residents who observed deer that appeared to be lethargic, blind, walking in circles and unaware of their surroundings, biologists collected tissue samples from three animals and sent them to a laboratory for testing. The results confirmed the presence of EHD in all three deer, as well as bluetongue in one of the three animals. These viruses only affect animals, primarily deer but also pronghorn, bighorn sheep, domestic sheep and cattle. The viruses are spread by a small insect, commonly known as “no-see-ums.” The midge populations dramatically increase as the result of summer monsoon rains. Similar cases were found in Prescott Valley and Kingman last year. It’s believed these animals were more susceptible to the disease due to a lack of developed immunity during recent drought years. EHD has been shown not to affect people.
