RHD virus can kill 95% of infected rabbits within 24 to 48 hours of exposure.
The infective agent of this disease readily moves between continents and crosses ocean channels. This ties in with suspicions that caliciviruses are associated with oceans.
A study designed to assess the efficacy of RHD for eradicating introduced wild rabbits in Australia foundered when some infected rabbits escaped from Wardang Island, which had provided high security containment.