Progress on national deer surveillance: extended up to and including March 2025

The Dutch Wildlife Health Centre has sent out blood sampling kits to game management units/hunters and managers responsible for coordinating found wild animal carcasses via the wildlife management units. In the figure below you can see the locations we received blood samples from. Up until now, 22% of the sampling kits sent out have been returned.

The project was extended to March 2025 to allow for the inclusion of samples taken from the upcoming doe hunting season. The RIVM will test blood samples for antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis as soon as all sampling kits have been received by the DWHC. The aim is to use these results to better estimate the risk posed by TBE to humans and take precautionary measures accordingly (https://www.rivm.nl/en/tick-borne-encephalitis). Eventually, the blood samples might be tested for further pathogens.

Geographical distribution of received deer blood samples as of October 22, 2024