I was doing some research about rabbit diseases and I came across the Bunny Hugga website. I appreciate the work they have put into this website, but it hasn’t been updated since 2013.

These are two screenshots of the website. One page is about Myxomatosis and the other is about Fleas. Have a read of the information in the red squares.

So, after all of the scary business about Myxomatosis in Australia, there is a vaccine, but they are too scared to give it to domestic rabbits in Australia for the fear that immunity will spread. Do they realise that immunity is already spreading without the vaccine.

According to RSPCA Australia the Myxomatosis vaccine is a live virus, which means that it is a weakened version of the virus, and rabbits could spread it, just by existing, to the wild rabbit population.

Here’s an official government documentabout it.

Have they forgotten that wild rabbits are mostly immune to Myxo, that’s why they released Calici? What a farse. And now rabbits are becoming immune to calici…

The Australian Government Department of Agriculture‘s article says:

❝No vaccines for myxomatosis are currently registered for use in Australia, but other preventative measures can be taken. These include protecting pet rabbits from mosquitoes and fleas which spread the disease.❞

and

❝How would the myxomatosis virus spread from a vaccinated pet rabbit to a wild rabbit? When a rabbit has been vaccinated with a modified live vaccine, there may be enough of the vaccine virus in their skin for it to be spread from one rabbit to another by the bites of mosquitoes and fleas.❞

then…

❝A proportion of the wild rabbit population has developed genetic resistance to the introduced myxoma virus. Despite this, the virus remains an important measure in keeping wild rabbits under control so that native biodiversity can be protected.❞

My question is how is it an important measure against rabbit populations if it isn’t working any more? And sheep are doing far more damage than rabbits ever could. But sheep make money, and rabbits are a nuisance.

According to the CSIRO less than 2% of rabbits are currently affected by Myxomatosis in Australia. Then they say:

❝Scientists are also aware that because myxomatosis was only effective for 15 to 20 years, rabbits could also become resistant to calicivirus.❞

Then Northern Arizona University says:

❝Periodic samples of myxoma virus, collected in the field and tested on European rabbits with no previous exposure to the virus, demonstrated that the virulence of natural myxoma strains decreased over the years following its introduction. In addition, resistance of wild rabbits to the myxoma virus increased steadily from almost total mortality when the virus was first introduced to less than 50% deaths seven years later to a virus strain of moderate virulence. Studies indicated further that whether a rabbit died from myxomatosis depended largely on the inheritance of genetic immunity from its ancestors.❞

Read more about myxo and calici in the Health Library.