Viral haemorrhagic disease

Rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease (VHD) is a highly contagious disease that affects only rabbits of the Oryctolagus cuniculus species. VHD is also known as rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD), rabbit calicivirus disease (RCD), rabbit calici-virus disease (RCVD), and viral hemorrhagic disease of rabbits (VHDR).

It is caused by the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV), also known as rabbit calicivirus (RCV).

Europe
There are a number of different strains of RHD. Currently RHDV2 (VHD-2), a strain found in France in 2010, is spreading throughout Europe. The UK now has access to the new vaccine (Cunivak RHD) that is effective against the new strain. If you or your vet needs information or has questions please read the new facebook post by The Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund.

Joe Carey (UK), author of the VHD-2 facts sheet, contacted Dr. Ghislaine Le Gall-Reculé PhD (in charge of research and scientific/technical studies on rabbit and hare caliciviroses & main author of the French research paper) asking about VHD-2. Responce here.

If you are in the Netherlands you can read: "Bunny owners warned of new hemorrhagic disease killing Dutch rabbits" by the NL Times. More Dutch information here. If you find a dead wild rabbit contact the Dutch Wildlife Health Centre (DWHC) to report it.


 * Rev. sci. tech. Off. int. Epiz., 1994, 13 (3), 881-891, Control of viral haemorrhagic disease of rabbits in Poland by J. GÓRSKI, B. MIZAK and M. CHROBOCIÑSKA
 * University of Liège, Le nouveau variant du virus de la maladie hémorragique virale (le RHDV2) identifié en Région Wallonne (12/09/2014; English translation)
 * Zentralbl Veterinarmed B. 1996 Sep;43(7):401-10, Susceptibility of hares and rabbits to the European brown hare syndrome virus (EBHSV) and rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) under experimental conditions.

Australia & New Zealand
Australia also has a number of variants of RHD. There are plans to release RHVD1 (K5 variant made in South Korea) in Spring 2016 or Autumn 2017. You can follow the latest information on the Facebook group: Against K 5 Virus and For a Vaccine to Save Rabbits from RHDV2.


 * The Rabbit Doctor, Overview on the Calici Virus (Posted February 1st, 2016)

Studies & Papers

 * Australian Veterinary Association, The facts about the K5 variant of rabbit calicivirus
 * Journal of Virology, Comparative phylodynamics of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) in Australia and New Zealand

USA
The source of infection in past American VHD outbreaks is not known. However, these probably are not the only outbreaks to have happened in the past. It seems possible that VHD may have been present in the USA for some time, with small outbreaks going unrecognised and/or unreported.

Notable outbreaks

 * 2000 - Iowa: March, on a premises with pet rabbits in a group of 27.
 * 2001 - Utah: August 17th in a rabbitry in Utah county.
 * 2001 - Illinois (due to 72 rabbits move from Utah): Mercer County, over 3,000 rabbits had to be euthanized.
 * 2001 - New York: Early December in a domestic rabbit housed in a captive exotic animal facility in Flushing, NY. Site was open to the public.
 * 2005 - Indiana: May 27th in a backyard rabbitry in Vanderburgh County. "Eight of a group of eleven rabbits that were purchased in Kentucky at a flea market on May 24 died acutely three days later in Indiana following introduction into the herd. The owner had approximately 200 rabbits in total, nearly half of which also subsequently died." - ref