The deadly virus causes untold suffering, not least blindness and disfigurement. When it becomes fully blown, death usually follows within 14 days.

It first manifest itself in Britain in the 1950s when the rabbit population was all but wiped out. Since then there have been many outbreaks, some more deadly than others. And it is not just the indigenous population that is at risk.

Myxomatosis also strikes at domestic pets. Rabbits kept outside in runs are the most at risk.

In the Fifties the countryside was littered with animals covered in hideous sores and condemned to a slow and painful death.

Back then, some believed it was for the good, that the rabbit population had exploded beyond reasonable proportions and that this was nature's way of redressing the balance. Unscrupulous individuals even helped it along by moving affected animals to unaffected areas.

Some would argue this was a different era and that the motive was well intentioned. However, in these more enlightened times, the majority of people would see this as cruelty beyond reason.

Myxomatosis has never gone away and its ugly traces can now be seen again in growing numbers along the Calder Valley.

They are not one-off incidents.

"There is certainly an epidemic coming," says one vet working in Mytholmroyd.

Worrying words indeed and ones that will send shivers down the backs of farmers and pet owners the length and breadth of the Calder Valley.

The increasing number of cases here and throughout the country are blamed on the unseasonal amounts of rain. This has provided ideal conditions for the fleas and mosquitos that carry the virus to breed.

There is little that can be done for the wild population, though the onset of the first autumnal frosts may help.

Owners of pets do have options and can immunise their animals, though it will cost money.

However, given the alternative, is there really a choice?