San Juan County, Washington — The highly contagious and deadly rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus type 2 (RHDV2) has been discovered in rabbits on Lopez and Orcas islands in San Juan County.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) State Veterinary Services confirmed the presence of the disease after a suspected rabbit sent for testing tested positive.
RHDV2 killed hundreds of wild and domestic rabbits in Island and Clallam counties in 2019.
In 2022, the state Veterinary Board authorized emergency use of the Medgene vaccine against RHDV2, and it is now available to all veterinarians in Washington state, according to WSDA.
WSDA said due to the highly contagious and highly contagious nature of this virus, vaccination is essential for disease control to protect domestic and wild rabbit populations alike.
State veterinarians also said rabbit owners should prevent their rabbits from encountering wild or domestic rabbits and should raise their hutches or bring them indoors.
For more information about RHDV2, biosecurity, and prevention, visit WSDA’s Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease webpage.
