If there was a VHD outbreak fairly close to my farm, I would enforce stricter rules. Since the VHD virus can live outside a host body for up to 90 days and it is very "sticky" then I would be most cautious. If I've been where another rabbit person has been recently, I would sanitize my hands and change my clothes before going into my rabbit area. A person with sick rabbits could go to the feed store to talk to the clerk, put his hand on the counter and leave the virus. You come along a week later to buy feed and put your hand on that same counter and pick up the virus. You carry that home and spread it to your feed scoop, a water bowl you dumped out, or that favorite rabbit you stopped to pet while feeding. I would meet anybody who might possibly have been around other rabbits at the front gate and probably wouldn't let them on my property. I would not bring any rabbits onto my farm nor release/sell any.
MONTANA: 3 rabbits from Utah were sent to a small herd in Yellowstone County, MT.
Two OTHER rabbits from this herd were sent to a meat truck bound for CA slaughter.
Other animals from this herd were shown at the Montana State Fair, which is what
triggered the quarantine of animals and herds which attended the fair. The MT
premise which received the rabbits from Utah has been depopulated (approximately
16 animals were killed).
MEAT TRUCK: The meat truck is not known at this time to have made any further stops
for rabbit pickup after they obtained the MT premise animals. The truck was stopped
in Twin Falls, Idaho; the animals aboard were destroyed and the 11 in the crate which
contained the MT animals were sampled. .
UTAH: Location-Utah County. Identity of herd owner: Not Released at this time. This herd
is very likely to be completely depopulated pending the final decision of the state
veterinarian. Animals had left the property to other locations within Utah; no losses
at this time. 72 were sold to Illinois; see below. 3 went to Montana; see above.
ILLINOIS: Location-In the area of Moline County. Losses: 15-20 of the 72 brought in
from the Utah location to date; odds of positive tests (tests should be complete in
the next 1-2 days) are rising. No animals have moved from the property since their arrival.
(*Tests were positive and all animals at this location were depopulated.)
IDAHO: The ONLY involvement of Idaho is that the truck bound for CA was stopped
there; there is no known occurrence of disease in Idaho at this point.