NOAH dispels confusion and myth over vaccination

To reassure pet owners over the need to properly vaccinate their pets, the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) has produced two briefing documents to answer common questions.

The briefing document, ‘Vaccination of Companion Animals’, explains the principles behind protecting dogs, cats, horses, rabbits and pigeons from life threatening diseases. ‘Dog Vaccines: Your Questions Answered’ provides answers to fundamental questions such as why live vaccines are used and the importance of health checks before vaccination.

"Following recent scare stories, some pet owners have become concerned about possible adverse reactions their pets may suffer after vaccination," says David Sutton, chairman of the NOAH companion animal vaccine group. "A recent survey in the dog press shows a huge proportion of responsible pet owners have been spooked by this vaccination scare."

A significant decrease in vaccinations and booster rates could result in epidemics of distemper and parvovirus and an increase in leptospirosis and other horrific diseases. Many are lethal and those that can be treated often cause permanent suffering and damage to the pet.

Mr Sutton says: "All veterinary vaccinations undergo a thorough independent evaluation of their safety, quality and efficacy. However, if there is felt to be a problem, vets or owners can contact the official ‘suspected adverse reaction surveillance scheme’ administered by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD)."

The reported incidence of all suspected adverse reactions currently stands at 0.004% of total vaccinations. Serious side effects following vaccination are even rarer. Like people, some pets may feel a little off-colour for a day or two afterwards and this is normally nothing to worry about.

"This very small risk of a vaccine side effect is greatly outweighed by the benefits of protection against serious diseases," adds Mr Sutton.

To provide reassurance in the height of recent scare stories, NOAH is planning an independent epidemiological study to survey vets and pet owners to generate data on incidence of adverse reactions following vaccination.

"Pet owners should remember that vaccination is very important for the long term health of their pet," says Mr Sutton. "The vaccination appointments also provide valuable opportunities for vets to carry out a health check and discuss other important health issues with the owner."

1 July 1999

Notes for Editors

1. For further information contact Roger Cook or Alison Glennon at NOAH, tel. +44 (0)20 8367 3131, or visit the NOAH website.

2. The National Office of Animal Health was formed on 1 January 1986 to represent the UK companies which research, develop, manufacture and market licensed animal health products. The association has 34 corporate members and 10 associate members. In 1998 NOAH's members accounted for around 95% of the £384 million UK animal health market, with additional valuable exports.

3. The reference for the statistic quoted is ‘Cat and dog vaccination: results from the Suspected Adverse Reaction Scheme’, letter by Alistair Gray, VMD, Veterinary Record, 17 October 1998.