The October 1999 USA VHD Scare

In early October 1999, an internet alert was circulating from an annonymous source suggesting that VHD may be imported into the USA on bunnies imported from the UK possibly for a convention of rabbit breeders in the USA. Here is the original posting and some responses.

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The original posting:

October 1999 (circulated by email)

Fellow Rabbit Lover:

Your help is urgently needed to help save the lives of countless rabbits in America, whose welfare is endangered by the reckless actions of rabbit breeders.

The British Houserabbit Association has documented an outbreak of Rabbit Hemoragic Disease. All breeders in America are aware of this. The American Rabbit Breeders Association intends to go through with the national convention of rabbit breeders within the next 10 days. Many rabbits will be imported from England, despite the outbreak of RHD. These rabbits will be brought into contact with over 20,000 other rabbits at the breeders convention. There is a very serious danger that a sick rabbit will be at this convention.

The RHD disease is not in the United States now. RHD is like Ebola. Rabbits died a very painful death. There is no vaccine for it in the United States. If RHD breaks out in America, it will be controlled by a mass killing of all rabbits in the area of the outbreak.

Are you going to sit by and let them kill your pet rabbit because breeders don't care if this disease comes into America?

How can you stop this disease from coming to America? The only way to stop it is with a massive public outcry. Contact every airline that flies into Louisville, Kentucky and let them know the danger. Let them know that they could be responsible if the disease comes into America next week. Urge them not to transport any rabbits until the danger is over. Contact the government officials in Kentucky, and in the city of Louisville. Inform them of the danger, and ask them to stop it. Contact the media. Spread the word about the danger. What happens is this virus comes to America and jumps to another species? It has happened before with other ones.

Send a copy of this to every rabbit lover you know and to every rabbit list you are on. Spread the word.

Your help and action are needed now to stop the deaths of millions of American rabbits.

From the Concerned Citizens for Rabbit Rights

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October 1999 (circulated by email)

Subject: VHD & ARBA Convention

To Whom It May Concern:

Recently, there has been a great deal of discussion concerning the status of Viral Hemorrhagic Disease (VHD) in domestic rabbits in the United States. Numerous comments have been received about the potential for spread of this disease by rabbits exhibited at the 76th ARBA Convention and Show, in Louisville, Kentucky. I would like to address these concerns. Since VHD has NEVER been diagnosed within the borders of the United States, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated VHD as a reportable foreign animal disease. However, since 1984 the disease has been an ongoing problem in other areas of the world. For animals of the United States origin there is minimal concern of exposure when moved throughout the United States.

Each individual country around the world can regulate how foreign animal disease outbreaks are handled. In some countries a vaccine is available to aid in the control of VHD. However, no vaccine is approved in the United States for use in rabbits. Currently, there is rumor of a recent outbreak in the United Kingdom.

In the United Kingdom a vaccination and quarantine program is in effect to dimminish spread of the disease. At the 1999 ARBA Convention & Show, the ARBA and the host corporation will attempt to take every precaution to safeguard the health and safety of all rabbits and cavies. Animals originating from foreign countries, which have experienced a confirmed outbreak of VHD in the last 30 days will be admitted to the ARBA Convention and Show only if they satisfy the following requirement. Each animal in question must have been examined by a licensed veterinarian and a valid health certificate must be provided. With the cooperation of all exhibitors, the ongoing safety of all rabbits and cavies exhibited will be ensured. We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of everyone involved as we attempt to safeguard the rabbit and cavy industry.

Dr. Chris Hayhow
President, ARBA

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October 1999 (circulated by email)

From an RHD veterinary seminar: Vaccination for this disease is not available nor legal in the U.S. If an imported vaccinated rabbit is tested it would test positive. Under U.S. law, this rabbit would be euthanized as well as the entire herd it was in. Any other rabbits that it was exposed to would be tested. The only reason for an imported rabbit to be tested however would be in the face of an outbreak here in the U.S. A rabbit from the UK that is vaccinated is safer in the stance that it won't be as likely to bring the disease to the US but the herd that it ends up in is doomed should that herd ever be tested. I do not know all the specifics on importing rabbits from the UK.

Sheri Schlorman, DVM

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October 1999

By Pamela Alley - posted on the USA Rabbit Web message board

First of all, there are no restrictions on the importation of rabbits from ANY country into the US. Since the rabbit has no official classification, there are no set procedures ruling quarantine and inspection bar the responsibility of the veterinarian providing the required health certificate and that of the shipper and purchaser.

Second of all, there are no tests that may be done on a live rabbit to determine exposure to VHD. Although it is possible to do an antibody titre on the blood of the live rabbit, this only tells you that some sort of exposure has occurred and not HOW it occurred...and yes, the point of vaccination is to achieve the highest possible antibody titre in order to protect the animal from the disease.

Vaccination carries some risks in any disease. The companies who manufacture Cylap and Cunical are certain enough of their data and the efficacy of their vaccine to allow its widespread use. It is unlikely that a rabbit who has been vaccinated with these vaccines will be capable of infecting others.

According to Dr. Gregg of Plum Island (the USDA's research facility that deals with foreign animal diseases), rabbits (and PLEASE note this is from memory and may not be COMPLETELY accurate on the number of days, but the data is correct) who have been exposed to the disease naturally and contract it, are quite likely (around 80% of those exposed) to die within 3 days, with symptoms occurring USUALLY within 24 hours. The very few animals which survive the initial exposure can continue to excrete viable, infectious material for up to 30-60 days as demonstrated by exposing unaffected rabbits to the feces and urine of the affected animals.

Now...what does this really mean to us?

First of all...if someone's rabbit looks ill, contact the owner and the breed chairman and show secretary IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT TOUCH the cage OR the rabbit OR any of its feed/water cups and/or bedding. The virus is a quite 'sticky' one and is transferred easily by contact with contaminated material and then touching another cage/animal.

Disinfect your hands after handling anyone else's animals, and do so as often as you practically can. This is simple sound practice in ANY situation, not just VHD. There will be disinfectant available at the Rabbit Industry Council booth for anyone to use. Spray the cages of any animal disqualified for illness, and let it dry. THE OWNER SHOULD DO THIS, and the ramrod at the table.

When you take dirty clothes home from the show, make sure that you wash them with plenty of bleach and HOT water. Disinfect your shoes as well as any cages, etc. that were at the show. Again...ANY disease situation...not JUST VHD!!

By being responsible and CAREFUL, we can stand an excellent chance of avoiding a large outbreak if any outbreak at all occurs.

Here's a horror story for you, just to show what MIGHT happen...and mind you, this is the ABSOLUTE WORST CASE..if EVERYTHING went wrong that COULD go wrong...PLEASE NOTE THIS IS COMPLETELY FICTIONAL!!!

ARBA Nationals begins. Thousands of the best rabbits from thousands of rabbitries across the nation converge. Rabbits are shipped in from all over, including Europe and the UK, both for show and sale. Not all of these are exhibited in the show, but rather are kept in hotels and other areas.

Someone imported animals from the UK, or Europe, or some other country where VHD occurs. They arrive at the new owners' hotel Sunday looking happy and healthy the first day, but don't look very sprightly the next. One rapidly goes downhill and dies with no visible symptoms; the others, with serious TLC, slowly begin to resume eating and drinking normally. During this time, the owner is in and out of the showroom, handling rabbits at the show on and off the table.

Several rabbits begin to look odd, but the warning signs are attributed to stress, and the animals are shipped home. An unusually large number of animals fail to arrive home alive, but the deaths are not spoken of with any unusual concern...until someone posts on Showbunny that they suddenly lost their entire herd.

It takes a day or three for the reality to penetrate. During this time, the owner of the affected herd has asked other breeders for help disposing of the carcasses and in disinfecting the barn and equipment. They go home and soon have rabbits dying, some of which have bloody froth and a terminal scream.

Someone has a necropsy done at a veterinary pathology laboratory, which suspects VHD and notifies USDA of the situation. (The following is 'as I understand it')...USDA then quarantines all herds within a given radius of the reported case. Any herd with animals dead of the same symptoms are eradicated.

The owners have no right to compensation, again because rabbits are unclassified. Contact is made with every person who is known to have been at Convention, and ALL movement of rabbits is halted, even to processors. ANY herd with any animals testing positive on an antibody test, even if they are survivors, will be eradicated likewise.

Since Convention is the meeting point for all of these related possible cases, it would quite obviously be blamed as the nidus for infection.

HOWEVER!!!

This is NOT the only scenario that is possible. The 2000 Olympics are in Melbourne, Australia. I would strongly suggest that all herds rapidly become CLOSED herds, myself. Closing your herd is not as easy as it sounds, but it is not impossible to do.

No visitors, NO returning stock. All show stock is OUT of the main barn and breeding herd for good. Full quarantine of all show stock is constantly in effect, and as animals are sold from the show 'herd' (it's in quotes because I assume you are not breeding this group), new exhibition animals are brought out and other quality animals are kept within the closed breeding herd for breeding.

Disinfection before handling is absolutely required. No outside stock comes on the property; your herd will be vulnerable every time a new animal comes in. A one to six month quarantine will need to be enforced on EVERY animal coming into the breeding herd.

It only makes sense that we, the responsible breeders and owners, take on the job of decreasing the likelihood of an outbreak, and confinement should something untoward should occur. DON'T be afraid to discuss disease problems! The existence of active disease in a barn is not a horrid cicatrice that should be hidden, but one that NEEDS to be dealt with, rapidly and efficiently.

How you do so is up to you, but I would personally recommend that diseased animals be culled out of the herd, with their fate being a rapid and humane death to protect the remainder from disease. If you wish to treat a disease, stick with the treatable afflictions, such as fungus or ear mites. Viral infections, Pasteurellosis...nope, you are not likely to get anywhere 'treating'...all you do is raise the odds of other animals becoming ill.

I hope that this post helps those willing to read it for the information it contains; if there are those that wish to discuss this further in a calm, reasonable, and sensible fashion, I'd be happy to do so.

PA

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Posted to the USA Rabbit Web Message Board

From Albert Aldred, President British Rabbit Council Purefoy House 7 Kirkgate Newark Nottinghamshire. NG24 1AD

There are NO reported outbreaks of VHD in England.

A sweeping epidemic of Mucoid Enteritis has sadly affected much of our Show Stock this year and every effort is being made, with the co-operation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, to determine the causes.

This is not, however, confined to the British Isles but is wholly an international problem. - a fact which all concerned rabbit owners and breeders must recognise.

Irresponsible and anonymous scaremongering provides the whole basis for your understandable fears and the best advice I can give to you all is to ignore it.

Albert Aldred Thursday 7th October 1999 England.

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October 1999 posted on the USA Rabbit Message Board by Rabbit Information Service

In response to the BRC posting, I would like to remind USA rabbit owners that

(1)VHD (viral hemorrhagic disease of rabbits) is endemic in the UK (UK Government authorities have noted that the disease is now endemic to the UK). The VHD disease in the UK will cause death in both wild and pet rabbits (they are all the same species - the European rabbit).

(2)VHD can travel on clothing, can survive freezing and 60 degrees celcius. This disease is a category B disease as stated by the OIE and at present (as far as I am aware) the only laboratory in the USA allowed to research VHD is at Plum Island high security laboratory.

(3)Not everyone reports their rabbits having died of one disease or another to "authorities" in any country and not everyone pays for an autopsy for a dead rabbit in their rabbitry.

(4)If you want to communicate with rabbit owners in the UK and to find out more about the effects of VHD in the UK, there is a UK mailing list. The UK breeders mailing list is at

http://www.onelist.com/archive/UKRabbitBreeders

You can also read the archives of this mailing list at this address (including postings on VHD and outbreaks) so you can decide whether the list is the one you'd like to join before you sign up.

Just click on the "join community" button and you can join the list.

One recent posting on this list stated that:

1st October 1999 Subject: VHD

There was a confirmed outbreak of VHD in Barnet Herts that approx. 8 weeks ago.

Finally, I would never advise anyone to be complacant about VHD or any other exotic disease of rabbits. The facts are that VHD is endemic to the UK and rabbits and rabbit owners from the UK may be coming to the USA to mingle with your own rabbits/rabbit owners. I would listen to those in your own country who advise you to be careful and observant with regards to your valuable animals. Diseases can break out when least expected. It is much better to be safe than sorry for both rabbits and rabbit owners in the USA.

Kind regards,

Marguerite