Bobby Welber is reporting for the Hudson Valley Post that the Hudson City Police Department has confirmed that five dead deer were found late last week at Oakdale Lake on the city's north side. Pathologists for the state Department of Environmental Conservation believe the deer had contracted Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, or EHD, police said. Deer are infected with the disease after being bitten by small flies known as midges. The disease causes intense thirst prior to death which is most likely why the deer were found dead at the lake, officials said. The virus has also been identified in Dutchess, Ulster, Putnam, Orange, Rockland and Westchester counties. William J. Kemble is reporting for the Daily Freeman the town of Saugerties is planning to distribute information about EHD to residents. Town Supervisor Fred Costello said the information campaign is a response to the discovery of dead deer on private properties in the region. The DEC says EHD is not spread from deer to deer, nor can humans be infected by EHD-infected deer or bites from midges. The EHD outbreaks are most common in the late summer and early fall — before the first frost kills off the midges — and do not have a significant long-term impact on deer populations. Deer infected with EHD might appear lame or dehydrated. The first cases of EHD in New York state were confirmed in 2007, when there were outbreaks in Albany, Rensselaer and Niagara counties. Last year, there was a large outbreak in Orange and Putnam counties that killed an estimated 1,500 deer. Hunters should not handle or eat any deer that appears sick or acts strangely. The DEC will continue to monitor the situation. Read more at hudsonvalleypost [dot] com and IRead more about this story in the Daily Freeman.