An article posted on KOAA News 5ís website June 13 announced that the presence of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus Type 2 has been confirmed in seven Colorado counties, including El Paso County.Aaron Berscheid, Colorado Parks and Wildlife district wildlife manager for northeast El Paso County, said the disease is highly contagious only within the rabbit family, including cottontails, jack rabbits, domestic rabbits and pika.ìThe disease tends to be more contagious through domestic types of rabbits like those kept as pets or for meat,î Berscheid said. ìIt is carried more highly through them but we have had it test positive in jack rabbits in El Paso County.îAccording to a fact sheet created by the United States Department of Agriculture on RHDV2 found on https://www.aphis.usda.gov, ìRabbit hemorrhagic disease is considered a foreign animal disease, meaning the disease is not typically found in the United States and is of high concern to domestic and wild animal health. Ö The virus is very hardy and can survive on clothing, plant material, or other items that may be accidentally moved from an infected area.îBecause there are virtually no symptoms of RHDV2 prior to death, Berscheid said the disease can be hard to diagnose. He said anyone who finds three or more dead wild rabbits within a two-week period in a specific area can assume it is due to RHDV2 ó and appropriate precautions must be taken.ìCall 719-227-5200, which is the Colorado Parks and Wildlife southeast regional office, and we will come get it,î he said. ìWe will take it to a chemical digester to dispose of it safely.îIf the rabbits are jack rabbits, the CPW will assume the deaths are caused by RHDV2 but if they are cottontail rabbits, it is important to inform CPW as soon as possible because the carcass can be tested if it is not too decomposed, Berscheid said.ìWe have seen a few suspect cottontail deaths, but those have not been tested because the carcasses were too far gone to test,î he said.If someone has a pet rabbit that has died suddenly for apparently no reason, Berscheid said to treat it as if it had RHDV2, double-bag the animal and then disinfect anything that the rabbit might have come in contact with.ìDisinfect everything with a 10 percent bleach chemical solution, including your shoes and your gloves, after you have handled the carcass,î he said. Additionally, Berscheid recommended contacting the person or store where the rabbit came from to let those people know of the possibility of a RHDV2 infection.Berscheid said this disease does not carry any health concern for humans or other pets that are not of the lagomorph order.ìWe want people to understand that the disease exists; and, if they have pet rabbits, to take precautions,î he said. ìKeep your rabbits separate from wild rabbits, and if you find any have died, get rid of them as soon as possible by double-bagging it and putting it in the trash, then disinfecting your hands and gloves and anything else it came in contact with so it does not spread to other rabbits.î
