TWRA confirms hemorrhagic disease in white-tailed deer in 8 counties

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Reports of hemorrhagic disease have been confirmed in eight counties across the Volunteer State, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Association.

The disease is naturally-occurring and can be caused by either epizootic hemorrhagic disease and bluetongue viruses, which are transmitted by biting midges — also called no-see-ums — and is not known to cause disease in humans, per the TWRA.

Though hemorrhagic disease happens every season, severity varies. Outbreaks can be linked to environmental conditions that affect midges' life cycles. The TWRA noted that years of heavy rain in spring and early summer with dry conditions in late summer, like what's happened in Tennessee this year, can create more favorable conditions for midge reproduction and higher midg