RHDV2 Resources

Thank you to everyone who has attended our successful RHDV2 Vaccine Events thus far in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Organized by Rabbit Advocates in partnership with amazing veterinary teams, we have vaccinated over 400 bunnies so far in 2023, 800 bunnies in 2022, and more than 800 in 2021!

The best way to protect your rabbits from RHDV2 is to vaccinate them every year and keep them indoors. RHDV2 vaccines, including Medgene, Filavac, and Eravac, must all be re-administered at least once every 9-12 months to maintain protection against the virus. All RHDV2 vaccines are annual vaccines. The Medgene vaccine is the only vaccine available in the United States at this time. The first year that a rabbit receives the Medgene vaccine, even if the rabbit has been previously vaccinated with Filavac/Eravac, the rabbit needs 2 doses of the Medgene spaced 3-7 weeks apart. Medgene has not yet provided official guidance, but it appears that the year after the bunnies receive the initial 2-dose series of Medgene, bunnies should only need 1 dose of the Medgene vaccine as an annual booster.

At the state level, Oregon and Washington are no longer testing, tracking, and routinely reporting new cases of RHDV2. Because RHDV2 is now considered “endemic” in our area, meaning that it is here to stay, state governments are no longer providing the level of virus surveillance assistance that they did in 2021 and the first half of 2022 when RHDV2 was still considered a “foreign” animal disease. Unfortunately, the public will not receive timely updates on new cases. The most recent confirmed cases of RHDV2 in the Pacific Northwest are in domesticated rabbits in Lane County on 8/1/22 and in Multnomah County, OR on 7/28/22; and in Rochester, WA on 7/27/22 among unvaccinated domesticated rabbits. There are many highly suspicious, sudden deaths among unvaccinated domesticated and wild rabbits that have not been officially confirmed by authorities because the authorities are no longer testing and tracking RHDV2. Private veterinarians and veterinary schools may have information on how to get a deceased rabbit tested for RHDV2 and any associated costs.

For those interested in learning about future RHDV2 events, please follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter.

The House Rabbit Society has an excellent collection of resources about the virus including information about the virus, how to keep your rabbit safe, biosecurity measures you can take at home, vaccines and more.
https://rabbit.org/rhdv/

The Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Washington Department of Agriculture have created FAQ pages about the virus.
ODA FAQs WDA FAQs

The USDA published a General Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfection of RHDV.

If you find a deceased rabbit (wild or domestic) or suspect potential RHDV, DO NOT TOUCH THE BODY, and contact the appropriate authorities in your state. Someone who never handles rabbits should wrap a deceased rabbit body in two plastic bags, and keep the body refrigerated but not frozen. Only recently-deceased rabbits can be tested for RHDV2, and only if the body has been properly stored prior to analysis.

RHDV2 Q&A

Q: Is there a vaccine available in Oregon or Washington?
A: Yes. There is a domestic vaccine being produced by Medgene Labs in the United States. The Medgene vaccine is authorized in Oregon & Washington State. The Medgene vaccine is administered via 2 injections spaced 21 days apart.

Check the Events Calendar at Rabbit Advocates for information on upcoming events.

Our Washington friends at Rabbit Haven in Gig Harbor, WA and Special Bunny in Seattle, WA may also be holding vaccine events.

Q: Where have positive cases of RHDV2 been confirmed in the Pacific Northwest in 2021-2022?

A: The most recent cases confirmed in the Pacific Northwest are in domesticated rabbits in Lane County, Oregon on 8/1/22, Multnomah County, Oregon on 7/28/22, and in unvaccinated domesticated rabbits in Rochester, WA on 7/27/22. For a full list of cases in Oregon, visit the Oregon Department of Agriculture website.

Back in 2021, Rabbit Advocates alerted authorities at the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) to what became the first documented case of RHDV2 in Oregon found in a domestic colony of abandoned domestic rabbits in Milwaukie, OR. Multiple deaths of feral domesticated rabbits were confirmed on 3/24/21. A second case involving multiple deceased feral domesticated rabbits was confirmed in La Pine, OR on 4/14/21.

There were confirmed deaths in Seattle, WA on 5/18/22 among unvaccinated house rabbits with special needs. There was a case in Deschutes County, Oregon on 5/16/22 in a wild rabbit. Cases in wild rabbits were also confirmed in the Wildhorse Valley area of OR on 2/2/22; Crook County, OR on 1/5/22; and Lake County, OR on 6/15/21.

Q: Can RHDV2 infect other animals?
A: RHDV2 can only infect members of the lagomorph family (wild and domesticated rabbits, hares, and pikas). However, other animals, insects, and people can infect rabbits by tracking contaminated materials into the rabbits’ area.

Q: How long can RHDV2 live on surfaces?
A: Research published by the EPA and Washington state has stated that the virus can live up to 105 days on surfaces.

Q: Is the hay from Rabbit Advocates safe?
A: Yes, all Bunny’s Best Bites hay from our warehouse has been stored for at least 105 days, which is beyond the amount of time the virus can survive in the environment. Please see our hay page for detailed information about how we are ensuring the safety of our hay.

Q: Which Oregon veterinarians are offering vaccines against RHDV2?
A: Please contact private Vets directly to enquire about availability and pricing of the Medgene vaccine.

Q: I got my bunnies vaccinated against RHDV2, what should I do now to keep them safe?
A: Bunnies must be vaccinated against RHDV2 every 9-12 months to stay protected. Maintaining good biosecurity is still important, even after bunnies have been vaccinated. The vaccine adds an important, extra layer of protection and Rabbit Advocates strongly recommends that all bunnies get vaccinated against RHDV2.

Foster bunnies at Rabbit Advocates are currently being vaccinated with Medgene vaccine. The Filavac vaccine has been used at events organized by Rabbit Advocates in 2021 and in March & April of 2022. Filavac requires one single dose annually and takes up to 2 weeks to generate protective antibodies. With both the Filavac and Medgene vaccines, bunnies will need their next dose 9-12 months after the previous vaccination.

Until more research is conducted, each bunny parent must make decisions based on their own level of comfort with risk and their assessment of their own bunny’s health status, age, and other factors. Rabbit Advocates recommends that all bunnies stay indoors and avoid outdoor playtime, even if fully vaccinated.

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Press Release: First case of deadly rabbit virus, RHDV2, identified in Oregon

Portland, Oregon, March 29, 2021 – On March 26, 2021, the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) confirmed the state’s first known case of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus Type 2 (RHDV2) in a domestic rabbit found dead in Milwaukie, Oregon. Highly contagious and deadly, RHDV2 has both domesticated rabbit and wildlife enthusiasts very worried about the effects on pets, agriculture, and conservation efforts.

The Oregon State Veterinarian’s office was alerted to this case by Rabbit Advocates (RA), a nonprofit domesticated rabbit rescue based in Portland, which has been monitoring several “feral” rabbit colonies in the Greater Portland, Oregon Area. The bunnies in Milwaukie are domesticated rabbits descended from pet rabbits abandoned in the neighborhood years ago. Over time, the numbers of homeless domesticated rabbits grew. During a visit to the Milwaukie colony, the RA Rescue Team Co-Leads noticed that the bunnies did not look well. 

Then, the RA Rescue Team was notified by a Milwaukie resident thatmany of the feral rabbits in the neighborhood had disappeared seemingly overnight. The community worried that they had been stolen. When RA volunteers returned to investigate, they found the dead rabbit that later tested positive for RHDV2. 

“When we discovered the deceased bunny, we feared the worst, that Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus had made it to Oregon. We reached out to the appropriate authorities to investigate further,” said an RA volunteer and board member. After Rabbit Advocates reported the situation to the Oregon State Veterinarian’s office on a Sunday, the ODA team responded and rapidly arrived on-site in Milwaukie the next day to securely collect the remains.

Cases of RHDV2 have been identified in neighboring states of Washington, California, Nevada, and Idaho. RHDV2 can be transmitted directly when a rabbit interacts with an infected rabbit, or indirectly when a rabbit comes into contact with creatures or surfaces that have touched the feces, urine, fur, or blood of an infected rabbit. RHDV2 can be transported by other animals and insects, has a high mortality rate, and can live without a host for up to three months.Though there is a vaccine for RHDV2, Oregon veterinarians do not yet have access to the vaccine. Now that a case of RHDV2 has been confirmed in Oregon, the ODA will be allowed to import vaccines from Europe where RHDV has been prevalent for years. RHDV is only a threat to lagomorphs (such as domesticated rabbits, wild cottontails, hares, and pikas), and cannot be transmitted to humans or other non-lagomorph animals.

As RHDV2 began to spread in the Western United States, Rabbit Advocates instituted new rescue protocols to reduce risk of transmission. RA also started to create educational materials to raise awareness about RHDV2 in Portland. Rabbit Advocates has been and will continue to be a part of vaccination and domesticated rabbit health education.

Rabbit Advocates is a non-profit, all-volunteer rabbit rescue based in Portland, Oregon with more than 20 years of rescue, adoption, and advocacy efforts in the area.

Rabbit Advocates encourages everyone to report suspicious cases to ODA at https://oda.direct/rhd and 1-800-347-7028, and will continue to post information on RHDV on our website at https://rabbitadvocates.org/rhdv.