On Jul. 13, 2020, an emerging virus threatens both wild and pet rabbits in the U.S. The fatal virus -which causes an Ebola-like disease called rabbit hemorrhagic disease was – reported in the western and southwestern U.S.

The virus was first diagnosed in domestic rabbits in China in 1984, but it is believed to have originated in wild European rabbits. It soon spread around the world via human travel. (Australia and New Zealand purposefully introduced the virus to try to control their numbers of feral rabbits.)

At first, the illness did not appear to affect wild species in the U.S. However, this spring the virus killed black-tailed jackrabbits and cottontails in New Mexico and Arizona. It also has been detected in wild, pet, and feral rabbits in California, Colorado, Texas, Nevada, and Washington.

The good news is that the virus cannot be transmitted by rabbits to humans or other animal species. The bad news is that it’s a highly contagious and insidious virus. It can survive extreme temperatures and for long periods of time in the environment, and people can transmit it via their clothing and shoes.

There is no treatment for rabbit hemorrhagic disease. A vaccine effective against the virus has been used in other countries, but it’s not available here.