Vaccination Update

[JackieW]

Particularly of note - "It is clear that the controversy surrounding small companion animal vaccination has not diminished and that there is an urgent requirement for education of practicing veterinarians in this area. The members of the VGG are actively engaged in delivering national and international lectures to help address this demand."

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http://www.wsava.org/VGG1.htm

The WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG) was initially established in 2006 following recognition by the WSAVA Board and Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) of the need for globally applicable recommendations on best-practice for the vaccination of dogs and cats. During the first phase of activity of the VGG (2006 – 2007) a substantial guidelines document was produced, published in the scientific literature (Day et al., 2007) and made freely available on the WSAVA website (latterly with Spanish and Polish translations). This document included a set of invaluable ‘fact sheets’ related to the major canine and feline vaccine-preventable infectious diseases and a set of ‘frequently-asked questions’ (FAQs) related to vaccination practice.

The 2007 WSAVA vaccination guidelines had major global impact as assessed by a survey conducted of WSAVA member organizations in 2009. The availability of the guidelines, accompanied in some instances by local public pressure, led to many countries either formally adopting the WSAVA guidelines as national policy, or using the WSAVA guidelines as a basis for formulation of a National policy document. It is clear that the controversy surrounding small companion animal vaccination has not diminished and that there is an urgent requirement for education of practicing veterinarians in this area. The members of the VGG are actively engaged in delivering national and international lectures to help address this demand.

The VGG was reconvened in 2009 for a second phase of activity that concludes in June 2010. During Phase II the initial task was the above mentioned assessment of the global impact of the 2007 guidelines. The second major task has been the production of an updated 2010 version of the veterinarian’s guidelines that will be launched at the 2010 Geneva Congress. The revised document includes much new background information included following feedback from the 2007 version. Additionally, there is a new infectious disease fact sheet related to rabies virus and the number of FAQs has almost doubled. As a supplement to the revision we also intend to make available a set of images related to the major vaccine-preventable infectious diseases that may be used by veterinarians in a consultation room to emphasize the importance of vaccination to clients. The 2010 Guidelines will be published in the June issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice and made available from the WSAVA website. The final outcome of Phase II will be the release of a substantial information document for the owners and breeders of small companion animals. The VGG is well-progressed on the drafting of this document which we believe will be of immense value in education of our clientele.

The VGG is currently planning Phase III of its activities that are hoped to take place in 2011 and present a major new initiative with focus on vaccination issues facing Asia. The work of the VGG would not have been possible without the generous sponsorship of Intervet-Schering Plough Animal Health.

WHO SITS ON THE VGG

The VGG is a small expert academic panel that works entirely independent of industry in formulating its recommendations. The VGG is currently chaired by Professor Michael J. Day (University of Bristol, United Kingdom) and includes Professor Ron Schultz (University of Wisconsin Maddison, USA) and Professor Marian Horzinek (formerly of Utrecht University, The Netherlands). Professor Schultz also sits on the American Animal Hospital Association Canine Vaccination Committee and Professor Horzinek is chair of the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases. Collectively, the VGG has extensive academic expertise in microbiology, immunology and vaccinology.

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE VGG

Day MJ, Horzinek M and Schultz RD. 2007. Guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats. Journal of Small Animal Practice 48, 528-541.

Day MJ, Horzinek MC and Schultz RD. 2009. Comment on ‘Patel JR, Heldens JGM. Review of companion animal viral diseases and immunoprophylaxis’ (Vaccine 2009; 27: 491-504). Vaccine 27, 2533.

Day MJ. 2010. Report from the WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group. Proceedings of the Annual Congress of the WSAVA, Geneva.

Day MJ, Horzinek M and Schultz RD. 2010. Guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats. Journal of Small Animal Practice, in press.