Rabbit hemorrhagic disease appearing in Thurston County. Here’s how vets are fighting it

A highly contagious and fatal disease — Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus type 2 (RHDV2) — was confirmed in two rabbits from a single Thurston County household last week, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) state veterinarian’s office.

This is the state’s second confirmed detection of RHDV2 this year, following a King County case in May. With two detections in two counties in Oregon last week, the state veterinarian says rabbit owners must now take precautions.

“Stopping this disease from spreading starts with rabbit owners employing biosecurity measures such as eliminating contact with wild rabbits, isolating new rabbits from existing ones for 21 days, paying attention to where feed is sourced from, and keeping your rabbits housed off the ground or indoors,” Dr. Amber Itle, Washington State Veterinarian, said Thursday in a news release.

Late last year the state veterinarian’s office also authorized the emergency use of a domestic vaccine for RHDV2, which is now available to all Washington veterinarians.

Itle is calling all rabbit owners to contact their veterinarians to vaccinate their rabbits as soon as possible. Veterinarians can order the vaccine directly from Medgene labs at 605-697-2600.

Although there are no restrictions for fairs, Itle encourages exhibitors particularly to get their show rabbits vaccinated.

“Please talk to your veterinarian about getting the vaccine for your rabbits,” she said.

Itle is the Chair of the National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials committee on RDHV2 and has led efforts to develop guidance documents and policy around response, biosecurity, prevention, and vaccine recommendations.

If domestic rabbits contract the disease, the farm or household will be quarantined for 60 days to prevent transmission to other rabbits, but restricting movement of rabbits in geographic areas will not be mandated.

In 2019, RHDV2 killed hundreds of domestic and feral domestic rabbits in Island and Clallam counties. The strain killed domestic rabbits only; native wild rabbits and hares were not vulnerable to it.

Since the spring of 2020, 15 states have reported detections of a new southwest strain of RHDV2. This strain is fatal to both domestic and native wild rabbits, prompting animal experts at USDA to designate RHDV2 as “stable-endemic” — meaning it persists in wild rabbit populations, making it nearly impossible to eradicate.

For more information on RHDV2, biosecurity, and prevention, visit WSDA’s Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease webpage.

This story was originally published August 5, 2022 at 5:25 AM.