RHD 2 Quick as a Bunny

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD)/Viral haemorrhagic disease (VHD) is an often lethal acute disease in rabbits caused by infection with RHD virus (RHDV), a Calicivirus. After its emergence in China in 1984, the virus quickly distributed across the world. In 2010, a new subtype, RHDV-2, was first detected in France. In the following years, the infection spread across Europe, with confirmed cases in many neighbouring countries such as Germany (2013) and the United Kingdom. The first RHDV-2 PCR confirmed cases in

wild and domestic rabbits in The Netherlands emerged late 2015 and early 2016. At the moment of writing, PCR confirmed cases were found in Gelderland, Groningen, Utrecht and Zuid-Holland. More cases from Limburg, Noord-Brabant and Overijssel are presently investigated. […]