Incursion of epizootic hemorrhagic disease into the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia in 1999

In September 1999, unusually high mortality rates in white-tailed deer and California bighorn sheep occurred in the southern Okanagan Valley. Necropsy and histopathologic findings were compatible with epizootic hemorrhagic di sease (EHD); the presence of virus was not demonstrated. Subsequent serolog ic and polymerase chain reaction assays on sentinel cattle suggested an EHD virus incursion.