Public on alert after deadly rabbit disease detected in Pa.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is asking the public for help after a deadly virus affecting rabbits was found in Pennsylvania.
The game commission released a statement Tuesday asking people to report any hare or rabbit mortality events in regard to Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHD), which poses no human health risks.
“It’s a little more directed toward folks who raise rabbits,” said Shannon Powers, press secretary of the state Department of Agriculture. “The Department of Agriculture regulates domestic animals and has the authority to put quarantines and restrictions in place to control what falls under the heading of dangerous, transmissible diseases, and this is under that heading.”
A mortality event is defined by the game commission as finding two or more dead hares or rabbits at the same location with an unknown cause of death.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, two rabbits from a facility located in Fayette County tested positive in early August for Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2), which is one of the viruses that causes RHD.
The two captive rabbits were specifically raised as meat rabbits, Powers said.
“The rabbits at that farm have been euthanized because of the danger that lingers,” Powers said regarding the Fayette County incident. “Even in rabbits that survive, and a small number will survive, they pose a huge threat to spreading the disease.”
RHDV2 is highly contagious, and, unlike other RHD viruses, it has the potential to affect both domestic and wild rabbits.
Hares and rabbits that do not immediately die following infection may demonstrate poor appetites, lethargy and blood coming from their mouths or noses, which is related to internal bleeding.
There is no specific treatment for RHD, which is often fatal. According to the game commission, potential die-offs of local populations due to RHD could reach between 75% and 100%.
The virus is resilient and can remain on the landscape for months, the game commission said.
“In this area, it’s not in wild rabbits, and that’s what we are trying to prevent,” Powers said. “There is a special quarantine order at that location.”
The Fayette County incident is the first reported case in Pennsylvania according to the game commission.
As of August, there have been reports of the disease within wild rabbit populations in 11 states, while 24 states — particularly western states — have seen cases in domestic populations.
“RHD poses a significant threat to the commonwealth’s cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare populations, and, as such, the game commission is taking this recent detection very seriously,” said Dr. Andrew Di Salvo, a game commission veterinarian. “We are working diligently to learn more about this occurrence of RHD and determine what actions, if any, to take and when.”
The disease was first identified in domestic rabbits in France in 2010, according to the game commission. The first case within the United States was reported in 2020, and the disease is now considered endemic in wild rabbit populations in some western states.
“It’s definitely not endemic in Pennsylvania,” Powers said. “Endemic means it’s widespread in an area.”
The disease is considered endemic in wild rabbit populations of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
It's been detected in domestic rabbit populations in those states as well as in Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin.
Powers confirmed that this disease can only be spread between rabbits and hares, meaning if infected wild rabbits came in contact with a dog or cat, those animals would be fine.
Some ways RHD can be spread include direct contact, ingestion of contaminated food or water, inhalation, contact with contaminated equipment, and contact with urine and feces from infected hares.
Multiple dead or sick hares and rabbits also can be a sign of tularemia or plague diseases, which have the ability to cause serious illness in humans, according to the game commission.
To report a potential case regarding wild rabbits, call 1-833-PGC-WILD or use the online Wildlife Health Survey reporting tool at www.pgcapps.pa.gov/WHS.
Domestic rabbit owners who have questions or would like to report a case should contact their veterinarian, who in turn can report suspected cases at anytime to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Health at 717-772-2852, ext. 1.
