Rare Rabbit Killing Disease Detected In Iowa
The first outbreak of a deadly lethal rabbit disease has now been detected in Iowa.
To some people, they are little furry lawn friends. To others, rabbits are nuisance rodents.
But whatever camp you are in you will find it concerning that the first outbreak of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 has now been found in Iowa rabbits.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture reported this deadly virus is lethal to rabbits but does not affect humans or livestock.
Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2, or RHDV2, was confirmed in Story County north of Des Moines.
The diseased Iowa rabbits were domestic not part of a commercial herd or wild.
Cornell Wildlife Health Lab at Cornell University states that the disease was first detected in 1984 in domestic European rabbits imported from Germany and China.
RHDV2, a new strain, was first detected in France in 2010. It is far more infectious to North American wild rabbit species where it was first detected in 2020.
Cornell Wildlife Health Lab also noted that there has been an RHDV2 outbreak in both domestic and wild rabbits in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, California, Utah, and Mexico.
Symptoms of RHDV2 include bleeding from the mouth, nose, or rectum, fever, and difficulty breathing.
The virus can kill rabbits within 12 to 36 hours after symptoms are detected.
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