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Hemorrhagic Disease/Bluetongue Virus?

What is Hemorrhagic Disease/Bluetongue

Hemorrhagic disease is often observed in pronghorn caused by infection with either epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) or bluetongue virus (BTV). Hemorrhagic disease caused by EHDV/BTV in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain west is seasonal, occurring in late summer to early fall (corresponding with the presence of arthropod vectors), and tends to occur in epizootics with high morbidity and mortalityin affected pronghorn populations (mortalities may be in the tens, hundreds, or thousands). Outbreaks of disease tend to occur at lower elevations (usually <7,000ft) and are observed at fairly predictable 4–7 year cycles, with smaller disease events and sometimes no detectable disease events in intervening years.

How Does Bluetongue Affect Me?

None of the causative viruses are recognized as human health threats.

Impacts of EHDV/Bluetongue on Wildlife

Hemorrhagic disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in susceptible species in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain west, but significant mortality events are cyclical and there are no data to suggest that these events affect population stability or are limiting populations. At present, there is insufficient information to warrant management actions to control or prevent disease events or outbreaks in wildlife, but hemorrhagic disease has the potential to negatively impact small, threatened, or endangered populations or species in the future, and continued disease surveillance is recommended and warranted.