Iowa has detected its first outbreak of a deadly disease that infects rabbits and for which there is no vaccine or known cure, the Iowa Department of Agriculture reported Monday.
A department news release said Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2, referred to as RHDV2, had been confirmed in Story County. It did not specify where, but department spokesperson Don McDowell said the rabbits were domestic and not part of a commercial herd.
The news release said none of the affected rabbits had recently traveled to exhibitions or fairs.
Though lethal to rabbits, the disease does not affect humans or livestock, the department and the American Veterinary Medical Association said.
According to the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab at Cornell University, 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, the lab said. It is far more infectious to North American wild rabbit species, where it was first detected in 2020, the veterinary association said.
The Cornell lab said there have RHDV2 outbreak in both domestic and wild rabbits in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, California, Utah and Mexico.
In its most acute form, the disease can kill rabbits within 12 to 36 hours of the appearance of symptoms, which can include bleeding from mouth, nose or rectum, fever and difficulty breathing, the vet association said.
The agriculture department asked that any rabbit owner who detects a suspected infection contact a veterinarian, and that vets who encounter suspected cases contact the department.
Iowa in 2022 also has experienced a bird flu outbreak. The state leads the nation in egg production and the outbreak resulted in the destruction of millions of chickens and tens of thousands of commercial turkeys..
At Least 2 More Pestilences Warning 3/10/22 @ 5:15AM (Prophetic Words and Visions from my Lovely Jesus)
The Depopulation Agenda Plan is commencing…
Please repent, carry your cross daily and accept the free gift of Jesus Christ’s Death on the Cross for payment for your sins.
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