It’s Important To Immunize. How Often and For What, Are Legitimate Questions. –by Elizabeth F. Baird, DVM, CVPP, CCRT, CVMA
Vaccines are administered routinely in humans and animals for the purpose or either preventing disease or reducing the adverse effects associated with a given disease. Immunization protocols have revolutionized healthcare over the last century. Smallpox has been essentially eradicated. Polio, a horrific, crippling disease occurs worldwide at a rate of 1% as compared with the levels as recently as 1988, and those cases occur predominantly in remote areas that lack health care opportunities. Currently, 90% of rabies cases in the United States are found in wildlife, Prior to 1960, the majority were found in our domesticated animals. So while there may be an inclina- tion on the part of some to vilify immu- nizations, the truth is they have trans- formed the health and welfare of humans and domesticated animals, a fact that can- not be disputed. The interesting part of immuniza-
tions is the concept of “herd health” or “community immunity”. When a signifi- cant portion of a population is immu- nized, the rate of disease drops more than the amount of the population that is immunized. For example, it is estimated that only 50% of dogs and 30% of cats are properly immunized at any given time and yet the rate of rabies has plummeted in the U.S. Many of the canine diseases we immunize against are not expected to disappear entirely though, because there are reser- voirs in our wildlife population that keep the diseases alive and well. For example, Rabies virus, Distemper virus & Leptospirosis (a bacteria) are quite active in our raccoon populations here in Florida. No treatment or medication is entirely without potential to
6 months. The typical expectation is that if the immunization is the trigger, the disease should appear within days to a few weeks. While the rate of adverse reactions to vaccination is quite low, the goal is still to minimize the risk as much as possible. In view of these goals, research has been done to assess the
showing at the recent Tampa Bay Dog Show. Photograph by Anna Cooke.
Fannie Mae is a 10-month-old Maltese,
duration of immunity (DOI) provided by the vaccines we cur- rently have available. To make it so much more complicated, there are currently approximately 110 different vaccine products available for use in the dog. There are different types of vaccines (killed, modified live, recombinant), dif- ferent methods of administration and vastly different technology involved in the various vaccines, but it is beyond the scope of this article to address these in detail. Suffice it to say, they are not all cre- ated equal. What is true is that the more modern vaccines currently available in the U.S. do provide longer duration of immunity than the products of 30 or 40 years ago. While multiple immunizations remain necessary in puppies (and chil- dren) to achieve protective levels of immunity, it is clear we can expect longer periods of immunity in well-vaccinated adult animals once the foundation of immunity is established in the youngster.
Failure to respond to immunization does occur in a small
cause some sort of harm. To that end, the more recent focus has been to determine how we can safely minimize the vaccines we administer to our pets while still providing them with adequate protection. So what can go wrong with immunizations? The most recent study of over 1 million vaccinations administered, indicat- ed an adverse reaction rate of 0.4% or 38.2 per 10,000 dogs vac- cinated. Vaccine reactions are most commonly seen in smaller breed dogs (under 20 lbs) receiving multiple immunizations dur- ing the same visit. These reported adverse reactions included everything from “non-specific” to a mild bump or tenderness at the injection site and hives or facial swelling as well as the far more serious anaphylactic reactions. There is on-going debate about immune-mediated disease
being triggered by vaccination. While some clinicians see this as a real threat, one study indicated 67% of animals diagnosed with an immune-mediated disease had not even had a vaccination in over
56 THE NEW BARKER
number of animals—less than 5%—and is usually an individual immune problem rather than product related. As a consequence of the DOI studies, it appears clear that most dogs with an estab- lished foundation of immunity may receive boosters of their core vaccines (Canine Distemper Virus (CDV), Canine Parvo Virus (CPV), Rabies) every three years. Non-core vaccines, which include the Bordetella (Kennel Cough), Leptospirosis and Lyme, do not provide such a DOI due to the nature of the pathogens and vaccine technology—they do require more frequent boost- ers. Other non-core vaccines like Canine Influenza Virus are not even recommended for the average pet and are more appropri- ately indicated in shelter and kennel environments. Ultimately, both the efficacy and duration of immunity is a complex process dependent on factors in the vaccine, animal, and environment. Whether an animal will become ill or not is a balance between its current level of immunity and the dose and virulence of pathogens it encounters. What about vaccine titers (measuring current immunity sta-
tus)? Vaccine titers can be used to determine if the individual ani- mal has adequate protection. While the early test systems were a bit iffy, we now have a very good sense of what titer is protective and what is not.
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