From driveways to volunteers to the constant flow of vehicles, the Gig Harbor, Washington clinic seems to be one of the mass vaccination events occurring everywhere these days. That is, until you look more closely at patients, like Maise and Gus.
The Maise rabbit is not here to receive a COVID shot; she and dozens of other rabbits have come to get the vaccine against RHDV2 (rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus).
Although humans are not affected by the disease, the highly contagious virus is bad news for rabbits. First identified in China in the 1980s, the initial outbreak of RHDV ended more than 140 million rabbits. This newest strain, RHDV2, appeared in France in 2010. In 2019, Washington got its first case.
Dr. Alicia McLaughlin was the first veterinarian in the country to import the vaccine. Because RHDV2 has historically been a European disease, no American company has produced a vaccine; he had to get special permission to take it to the US
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“We had desperate people, you know, who called our clinic over and over again,‘ Hey, we just want this vaccine. Please let us get this vaccine, “he told correspondent Conor Knighton.
The vaccine, Dr. McLaughlin said, “is over 90% effective, which, as we know again from things about the COVID vaccine, is really good. We’re very happy about that. Given that the alternative is almost 100% of death is really well “.
Today, cases of RHDV2 have been identified in several states. But because so few veterinarians have gotten the vaccine, finding a dose can still be an ordeal.
Knighton asked, “How far do people come to get the shot?”
“Several hours,” Dr. McLaughlin replied. “I haven’t seen any upper limit on how far people are willing to travel to get the vaccine.”
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Sue Brennan, owner of Gig Harbor’s Rabbit Haven Rescue, has been the driving force behind mass vaccination clinics. He showed Knighton “Ruth Bunner Ginsburg.”
“Rabbits don’t have many champions. Somehow I connected soul to soul with them and I do my best to make their lives satisfying, better, and happier,” Brennan said.
Through a partnership with a local veterinarian, Brennan’s group has managed nearly a thousand shots: “What we’re trying to do is how to do with COVID: vaccinate everyone, stop the spread, stop the disease. People can get back to normal, the bunnies can return to normal “.
The rabbits have received an unofficial order to stay at home. The virus can persist on surfaces, including grass, so they cannot go out into the garden. They should definitely not mix with other rabbits outside of their “pod”.
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At this time, the worst outbreak of RHDV2 occurs in the west and southwest, where a new variant has jumped from domestic rabbits to wild rabbits.
In California, the Oakland Zoo, in cooperation with state and federal wildlife agencies, has been testing and vaccinating endangered shore rabbits in case the virus makes its way to this small population. of cotton tail.
It’s better to protect than to regret, which is why, although there have been no confirmed cases in Washington for more than a year, Dr. McLaughlin continues to vaccinate her patients.
Knighton asked, “When you manage these shots and send a fully vaccinated rabbit, how does it feel?”
“Ah, I love doing it. It makes me so happy!” she replied. “It’s like I’m hitting the virus on his face! Like he’s taking this from me! You’re not going to take this rabbit away!”
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History edited by Remington Korper.