The highly contagious and deadly RHDV-2 infection is rampant among wild populations of the animal. In the second half of this year, the Dutch Wildlife Health Center (DWHC) received four to six reports of dead rabbits per month. According to DWHC, 2 to 25 animals have been found dead per report. The center recommends vaccinating kept rabbits.
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus, RHDV-2, is a variant of the classic RHD virus known to be a pathogen among rabbits. RHDV-2 first appeared in the Netherlands in 2015. The virus hasn’t disappeared since then, but this year there are many victims. Reports have come to DWHC from all over the country, including Amstelveen, Hof van Twente and Gelderland. Fourteen dead rabbits from eight different locations were examined in the laboratory. Nine animals were found to be infected with RDHV-2.
