Deadly disease confirmed in deer in eight counties, including Shelby, TWRA says

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A disease deadly to wild dear has been found in wildlife across eight counties in Tennessee, including Shelby County, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) said Monday.

Hemorrhagic Disease (HD) is a naturally occurring illness in deer that is often found in southeastern states, and is caused by viruses spread through a biting midge, TWRA said. HD is not known to cause disease in humans, either through insect bites or through eating infected deer meat.

The disease can cause fatigue, breathing issues, a swollen tongue, mouth sores, fever, and a sloughing of the hooves that may cause the deer to be unable to walk; the deer may also grow thin, have their tongue sticking out of their mouth and drooling, have reddened eyes.

TWRA said sick, dying, and dead deer will