More about Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHD) and its signs and spread can be found in RHD Frequently Asked Questions
Indiana, May-June 2005
An outbreak of RHD was confirmed in Indiana. The outbreak killed approximately 100 rabbits on a farm in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. The remainder were euthanized and the farm decontaminated. Rabbits had recently been purchased in Kentucky and brought to the farm, but initial investigations and trace-backs failed to turn up any cases in Kentucky or elsewhere.
New York, December 2001
Another outbreak occurred at an exotic animal facility in Flushing, New York. Two rabbits died and were found to be infected with the RHD virus confirmed by laboratory testing. The remainder fo the rabbits on site were euthanized. The source of infection was not definitively identified.
Utah - August 2001
An outbreak of RHD was confirmed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (APHIS-USDA). According to the APHIS Emergency Management Warning the outbreak was confirmed on a rabbitry in Utah (600+) rabbits, and rabbits from the affected rabbitry were apparently shipped to premises in Montana and Illinois along with other premises in Utah. Deaths occurred in some of the rabbits shipped to Illinois. Movement of rabbits from the rabbitry in Utah and subsequent movement of rabbits from the premises where these rabbits were received was traced, and all all affected premises and suspected contacts with affected rabbits were quarantined. Again, the source of the virus was not determined.
First Case in the United States - Iowa 2000
In early April of 2000, the presence of RHD was confirmed in a group of pet
rabbits in Iowa. In this case, 27 rabbits were affected:
25 died between March 9 and April 6, 2000, and the remaining two were euthanized.
The source of the outbreak remains a mystery. No new rabbits had
been brought onto the premises in 2 years, and it had been months since
any rabbits had left the premises and returned. There were no other
known premises with rabbits in the area. The ultimate source of the RHD virus in this
outbreak is unknown.
Prevention
If you are in the US or Canada, it is important not to panic, but do
take some precautions. It is important to quarantine new rabbits
or rabbits returning from shows etc. for at least 6 weeks (especially during an active outbreak; at a bare minimum always isolate new rabbits for 5 days). Be very cautious
if importing rabbits or rabbit products from Europe or other countries
affected by RHD. Disinfect any cages and equipment brought onto the
premises with a 10% bleach solution or parvocidal disinfectant.
You can carry the virus on your clothing, so if you have contact with other rabbits, change your clothes and wash your hands and disinfect your footwear before handling your rabbits and equipment. Make sure your food supplier doesn't
have rabbits on the premises that could contaminate the food source.
Keep rabbits indoors and try to limit pests including insects and rodents
that could potentially carry the virus to your rabbits. Also keep dogs and cats that go outside or left the premises (and could carry the virus on their coats or paws) away from your rabbits.
Most importantly, stay informed. Visit the web sites listed below for news and developments related to this virus.
Killed vaccines to protect rabbits are available in other parts of the world but are not approved nor legal for use in the US. US officials are concerned that vaccination will do little to stop the spread of the disease (although effective at preventing the clinical symptoms in vaccinated rabbits), and would rather eradicate the virus.
Further Information on RHD
- VHDInfo - Discussion - Yahoo Group for sharing news and information.
- Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease - information about RHD from USDA/APHIS.
- RHD in the US - from The RHD in the US Coalition