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Waukesha County dairy cattle test positive for EHD
The same disease that has been spreading rampant among deer in southeast Wisconsin was just found in dairy cattle — providing the latest challenge in a year full of them for farmers.
WAUKESHA COUNTY, Wis. - The same disease that has been spreading rampant among deer in southeast Wisconsin was just found in dairy cattle — providing the latest challenge in a year full of them for farmers.
Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD)
What To Know:
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced the discovery of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) via blood testing Tuesday.
In an interview on FOX6 Now, Wisconsin State Veterinarian Dr. Darlene Konkle said the virus was found in young heifers — cows that have not given birth to calves — in a herd in Waukesha County.
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Cases of EHD confirmed in Wisconsin cows
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) confirmed that samples collected from non-lactating dairy cattle in Waukesha County tested positive for the virus that causes epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD). This disease has also been detected in tissue from wild and captive deer in the region. FOX6 NOW spoke with Wisconsin State Veterinarian Dr. Darlene Konkle about this issue.
EHD is transmitted by biting flies known as midges, and there is no treatment for the disease.
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Dr. Keith Poulsen directs the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, which performs blood testing when searching for diseases like these.
Wisconsin deer EHD outbreak reaches Fond du Lac, Jefferson counties
An EHD outbreak among deer in southeast Wisconsin has expanded into Fond du Lac and Jefferson counties over the past week, according to the DNR.
In an interview Wednesday from the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Poulsen said he's been getting questions from plenty of dairy farmers and trade associations about how worried they should be about EHD.
"The question is how much time do I have to put into this? And my answer is always the same: almost none," Poulsen said. "Go worry about more important things, whether we're dealing with the environment, weather issues or supply chain geopolitical issues. I mean, we are never bored."
Dealing with EHD
Big picture view:
Poulsen said part of the reason he downplayed concerns is that farmers already have a lot of insect management systems in place. For example, the tags you find on the ears may include bug spray as a deterrent, and farmers sometimes pour repellents onto their herd. Fans inside barns help to ventilate the space and mitigate insects, too.
What will help Wisconsin limit the spread of EHD is the arrival of a first strong frost, which will kill off the midges, much like mosquitoes.
However, Poulsen said farmers still have to pay close attention to their herds and monitor for any symptoms, because EHD is what's known as a 'mimic disease'.
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"Many of these viral diseases – they cause clinical signs that are indistinguishable. And really what that triggers then is when animal owners talk to their veterinarian, or they call animal health, we collect samples to rule those out because we want to know right away when, if and when, there would be a more economically important viral infection that could be moving around," Poulsen said.
Konkle said the symptoms the affected cattle in Waukesha County presented included lesions on their hooves.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Sam Kraemer and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the State Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Dr. Keith Poulsen, and the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.