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University of Nebraska Medical Center

Contagious, deadly rabbit disease detected in WA

Fox The state veterinarian’s office at the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has confirmed the presence of a lethal rabbit virus, Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus type 2 (RHDV2), in rabbits found on Lopez and Orcas Islands.

Highly contagious among rabbits, RHDV2 has been identified as the cause of death in several cases after tests conducted by the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Washington State University came back positive on Thursday. This isn’t the first emergence of RHDV2 in Washington. In 2019, the disease claimed the lives of numerous domestic and feral rabbits in Island and Clallam counties. Originally considered a foreign animal disease, eliciting immediate restrictions and emergency actions, RHDV2 is now regarded as a stable-endemic issue within the state. This categorization indicates that the virus is well established in the local environment, resulting in periodic mortality events as rabbit population immunity fluctuates.

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