Story originally published on MyNorthwest.com
A highly contagious and deadly rabbit disease has been confirmed in the state of Washington.
According to a news release from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Friday, the state veterinarian’s office confirmed Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus type 2 (RHDV2), was found in rabbits on Lopez and Orcas Islands.
The rabbits were tested at the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Washington State University (WSU) on Thursday and the results came back positive for the disease.
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Rabbit disease kills hundreds in 2019
The WSDA reported RHDV2 killed hundreds of feral domestic and domestic rabbits in Island and Clallam counties in 2019. Before that, the disease was designated as a foreign animal disease (FAD).
“If FADs are detected, there are restrictions and emergency rules put into effect,” the news release stated. “Because of that outbreak, the virus is now considered stable-endemic, which means it already exists in the environment. Cyclic mortality events are not unexpected as the immunity of the rabbit population waxes and wanes.”