Albany -- Recent tests for Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in several Albany County deer have come back positive, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced Tuesday. This is the first confirmed detection of EHD in New York State. EHD does not present a threat to human health.

"DEC's wildlife managers have been monitoring EHD as it has worked its way north through neighboring states," DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said. "While other states' experiences indicate that it is not anticipated to have a long-term effect on the health of our deer herd, we will continue to monitor the spread of this disease and its potential impact."

EHD is predominantly a disease affecting deer and is transmitted by certain types of biting flies called midges. It mainly affects deer in late summer and fall, but the flies die and the disease subsides when frosts and colder temperatures occur. EHD is common in many southeastern states and has been reported throughout the mid-Atlantic this summer. In states where the disease has been detected, it has not had a significant negative impact on long-term health of the deer herd, and infecting instead only localized pockets of animals within a geographic area.

The remains of more than 20 deer were found in the greater Voorheesville area of Albany County in recent days. Several deer carcasses were delivered to DEC's Wildlife Pathology Laboratory in Delmar, Albany County, to undergo a necropsy and microscopic examination to determine possible cause of death. In addition to EHD, deer were sampled for Chronic Wasting Disease, rabies, poisoning, and other potential mortality causes. Samples were sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory and the Southeast Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study laboratory. Those tests confirmed the presence of EHD in the deer tissue.