Vancouver Island rabbit owners are encouraged to get their rabbits vaccinated after a deadly disease affected rabbits on San Juan Island, Washington.
Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) is a highly contagious and fatal viral disease that appears suddenly in rabbits and hares. There is currently no treatment.
After being exposed to the virus, rabbits usually become ill within one to five days. Death often occurs after a short period of illness. Death can also occur suddenly without warning signs.
Among the signs of the disease, we can note the presence in infected rabbits of blood clots in the eyes, or even foamy and bloody discharge from the muzzle.
According to the Washington State Department of Agriculture, MHL has been identified at three locations on Orcas Island, and at one location on San Juan Island.
An epidemic in 2018
No cases have yet been reported in British Columbia, but the provincial capital is only about twenty kilometers from San Juan Island. A previous outbreak, in 2018, had raised concerns.
Lois Fernyhough, president of the Vancouver Island Rabbit Breeders’ Association, says the 2018 outbreak was first identified in the Lower Fraser Valley, before spreading to Vancouver Island. . It had caused the death of several hundred rabbits.
MHL is not known to cause illness in humans, we can read on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website.
MHL is caused by a very contagious virus. It is spread between rabbits through direct contact with saliva, nasal discharge, urine, manure, blood, and infected rabbit fur or carcasses.
A vaccine for the prevention and control of this disease is available in Canada. Nanaimo-based charity VI Fluffle is hosting a vaccination clinic for area rabbits on Sunday.
With information from the show On the island
