The scientists soon realised that the rain had provided breeding sites for the mosquitoes, which could then spread the virus. Back in the early days, practically all of the rabbits who were infected died. But since then, the virus has become weaker, and the abbits have become more resistant. Several children died, and hundreds of adults were very sick. But they soon became convinced that the myxoma virus was not the cause, when three leading Australian scientists publicly injected themselves with the live virus, to show that it was not dangerous to humans.
Rabbits have a few odd habits.
For one thing they eat their own faeces. They eat it directly out of their anus and swallow it. It's a bit like cattle chewing on the cud, and this odd habit lets them get a few extra nutrients out of the food. The other odd thing about bunnies is that they breed like crazy. One single female can produce up to 25 live babies bunnies each year, if she's living in an easy climate like southern inland New South Wales.