RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
The Rabies Challenge Fund will determine the duration of immunity conveyed by rabies vaccines. The goal is to extend the required interval for rabies boosters to 5 years and then to 7 years. This project depends primarily upon grassroots gifts for funding the costs of conducting the requisite vaccine trials. For more information or to find out how to donate, go to www.rabieschallengefund.org.
CVVC is proud to support this research and has made the first of several planned donations. This page will have articles of interest on the rabies vaccination issue as they erupt.
Tennessee dog owners have launched an effort to change the annual rabies immunization laws required by various counties in Tennessee to the 3 year standard recommended by the CDC's National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians and The American Veterinary Medical Association (see letter below from professional dog trainer, Jan Casey). I will be writing in a letter of support soon as well.
Dear Sirs/Madams:
I am writing to you to request a change in the rabies immunization requirements in Cookeville and Putnam County. Having recently changed veterinary services from Overton County to Putnam County, I was astounded to find that this county still mandates a yearly rabies vaccination rather than the three year of surrounding counties. I am writing to you to request you review and change this policy and adopt the national 3 year standard. As a dog trainer, board member for the Friends of the Cookeville/Putnam County Animals, and advocate for healthy dogs, I ask you to review the current facts available on this topic.
I will begin with the fact that the State of Tennessee, after thorough review of studies done nationwide by leading veterinary vaccine research scientists and universities, has deemed the three year rabies vaccination to be effective in preventing the spread of rabies. The annual rabies vaccine now given is simply a three year vaccine that has been relabeled for 1 year use. The University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine and Dr. Ronald Schultz of this school have determined "There is no benefit from the annual rabies vaccination and most one year rabies products are similar or identical to the 3-year products with regard to duration of immunity and effectiveness." Likewise, the CDC's National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian's 2008 Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control states "Vaccines used in state and local rabies control programs should have at least a 3-year duration of immunity. ....... No laboratory or epidemiologic data exist to support the annual or biennial administration of 3- or 4-year vaccines following the initial series. ....All vaccines must be administered in accordance with the specifications of the product label or package insert."
My request for the change
in the vaccination protocol stems from the fact that the rabies vaccine
carries significant adverse reactions due to its potency. According to
a review of literature by the Rabies Challenge Fund, autoimmune
diseases may result that affect the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin,
liver, kidney, bowel, and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock;
aggression; seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at the injection
sites. All have been linked to the rabies vaccination.
Also noted is the fact that rabies vaccines include aluminum hydroxide,
aluminum phosphate, and aluminum potassium. These ingredients are
listed as Class III/IV carcinogens with Class IV being the highest
risk. The August 2003 Journal of Veterinary Medicine documents
fibrosarcomas at the presumed injection sites of rabies vaccines. The
2003 AAHA Canine Vaccine Guidelines state "…killed vaccines are much
more likely to cause hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., immune-mediated
disease.)"
Obviously, the dangers involved in over-vaccinating our dogs far outweighs other considerations for retaining the yearly vaccinations. I respectfully request that Putnam County follow the State of Tennessee guidelines to require the three year rabies vaccination protocol for the well-being of our dogs. Please contact me if you require more information.
Respectfully,
Jan Casey, Dog owner, trainer, and Board Member of the Friends of the Cookeville/Putnam Co. Animals
Resources for more information:
1] Center for Disease Control's National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian's Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control http://www.nasphv.org/Documents/RabiesCompendium.pdf
[2]The American Veterinary Medical Association's 2007 RABIES VACCINATION PROCEDURES The 2006 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are downloadable in PDF format at http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocumen...s06Revised.pdf
[3] What Everyone Needs to Know about Canine Vaccines, Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.puliclub.org/CHF/AKC2007Conf/What%20Everyone%20Needs%20to%20Know%20About%20Canine%20Vaccines.htm
Duration of Immunity to Canine Vaccines: What We Know and Don't Know, Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.cedarbayvet.com/duration_of_immunity.htm
World Small Animal Veterinary Association 2007 Vaccine Guidelines http://www.wsava.org/SAC.htm Scroll down to Vaccine Guidelines 2007 (PDF)
[4] IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans: Volume 74, World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Feb. 23-Mar. 2, 1999, p. 24, 305, 310
[5] Fibrosarcomas at Presumed Sites of Injection in Dogs: Characteristics and Comparison with Non-vaccination Site Fibrosarcomas and Feline Post-vaccinal Fibrosarcomas; Journal of Veterinary Medicine, Series A August 2003, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 286-291(6)
[6] The 2003 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are accessible online at http://www.leerburg.com/special_report.htm
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Posted May 6, 2008
"Hello Mrs. Volk Just a followup to let you know that the Mayor and I are working together and have instructed the city attorney to prepare an ordinance or a resolution to take care of the 1 year vs 3 year problem. All the research I have found says that to require our city residents to get the vaccination for their pets every year is unnecessary. I will let you know when it will be ready for introduction and would hope that you would like to attend our meetings and testify about the situation. Let me know if there is anything else I can do at this time about this situation. Thanks for all your info you provided and your concern."
What You Can Do
If you are concerned about racing events that require sled dogs to receive redundant annual rabies boosters, please e-mail Dave Steele at dsteele@brainerd.net
PERMISSION GRANTED TO POST AND CROSS-POST THIS MESSAGE
March 18, 2008
Mr. Dave Steele, Executive Director
International Sled Dog Racing Association
22702 Rebel Road
Merrifield, MN 56465, USA
E-mail: dsteele@brainerd.net
Greetings Mr. Steele:
One of the objectives listed in the International Sled Dog Racing Association's (ISDRA) Constitution and By-Laws under Article II C is to: "Promote the welfare of sled dogs in all activities and endeavors." Further on, under Article IX Section 2 A 4, it declares one of the duties of the Animal Welfare Committee shall be to: "Inform the membership of new advances in canine nutrition and all areas related to the physical and mental well-being of sled dogs."
With those objectives and the physical and mental well-being of sled dogs in mind, I am writing to request that ISDRA's Board of Directors seriously consider alerting its membership to the potential health hazards associated with redundant annual rabies vaccinations, which some U.S. and Canadian races require for team entrants.
Annual rabies vaccinations after the initial puppy series are medically unnecessary and contrary to the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian's (NASPHV) Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control which declare that: "Vaccines used in state and local rabies control programs should have at least a 3-year duration of immunity,"[1] and should be administered no more often than specified by the product label or package insert. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) endorses a 3 year protocol as does the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA).[2]
Many, if not most or all, annual rabies vaccines are the 3 year vaccine relabeled for annual use. According to Dr. Ronald Schultz of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, whose canine vaccine studies form a large part of the scientific base for the 2003 and 2007 AAHA Canine Vaccine Guidelines as well as the World Small Animal Veterinary Association's (WSAVA) Vaccine Guidelines, "There is no benefit from annual rabies vaccination and most one year rabies products are similar or identical to the 3-year products with regard to duration of immunity and effectiveness."[3]
Because the rabies vaccine is the most potent of the veterinary vaccines and associated with significant adverse reactions, it should not be given more often than is necessary to maintain immunity. Adverse reactions such as autoimmune diseases affecting the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at injection sites are linked to rabies vaccinations.
Rabies is a "killed" vaccine, for which internationally accepted scientific data have demonstrated a minimum duration of immunity of 3 years by challenge and 7 years serologically. The rabies vaccine, and other killed vaccines such as Leptospira and Lyme, contains adjuvants such as aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, and aluminum potassium sulfate to enhance the immunological response. In 1999, the World Health Organization " classified veterinary vaccine adjuvants as Class III/IV carcinogens with Class IV being the highest risk,"[4] and the results of a study published in the August 2003 Journal of Veterinary Medicine documenting fibrosarcomas at the presumed injection sites of rabies vaccines stated, "In both dogs and cats, the development of necrotizing panniculitis at sites of rabies vaccine administration was first observed by Hendrick & Dunagan (1992)."[5] According to the 2003 AAHA Canine Vaccine Guidelines, "...killed vaccines are much more likely to cause hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., immune-mediated disease)."[6]
With the physical challenges of the trail to meet, sled dogs should not be exposed to the health hazards associated with medically unwarranted annual rabies boosters in order to enter racing events. I strongly urge you to inform your membership of the potential risks associated with unnecessary annual rabies vaccinations and request that ISDRA only sanction races that conform to the 3 year standard recommended by the Center for Disease Control's National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Animal Hospital Association.
If you have any questions or would like copies of the material referenced above, please contact me at xxxxxx.
Sincerely,
Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee
The Rabies Challenge Fund
[1] Center for Disease Control's National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian's Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control http://www.nasphv.org/Documents/RabiesCompendium.pdf
[2]The American Veterinary Medical Association's 2007 RABIES VACCINATION PROCEDURES www.avma.org/products/scientific/biologics.pdf
The 2006 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are downloadable in PDF format at http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocumen...s06Revised.pdf
[3] What Everyone Needs to Know about Canine Vaccines, Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.puliclub.org/CHF/AKC2007Conf/What%20Everyone%20Needs%20to%20Know%20About%20Canine%20Vaccines.htm
Duration of Immunity to Canine Vaccines: What We Know and Don't Know, Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.cedarbayvet.com/duration_of_immunity.htm
World Small Animal Veterinary Association 2007 Vaccine Guidelines http://www.wsava.org/SAC.htm Scroll down to Vaccine Guidelines 2007 (PDF)
[4] IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans: Volume 74, World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Feb. 23-Mar. 2, 1999, p. 24, 305, 310
[5] Fibrosarcomas at Presumed Sites of Injection in Dogs: Characteristics and Comparison with Non-vaccination Site Fibrosarcomas and Feline Post-vaccinal Fibrosarcomas; Journal of Veterinary Medicine, Series A August 2003, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 286-291(6)
[6] The 2003 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are accessible online at http://www.leerburg.com/special_report.htm
http://www.animalarkshelter.org/animal/Animal+Wise+Segments.nsf/HighlightsListen?OpenForm&Segment=43AF377786A21CFC862573AC007EE99B" (scroll down to The Rabies Challenge 12/9/07)
Announcing a Joint $35,000 Matching Gift to the Rabies Challenge Fund
J
Jan Rasmusen, author of the national-award winning book, Scared Poopless: The Straight Scoop on Dog Care,, and two anonymous dog lovers announce a combined $35,000 matching gift to The Rabies Challenge Fund. Jan's gift is being made on behalf of her dog, Chiclet, in honor of Chiclet's companion, Jiggy, who developed autoimmune liver disease after a rabies shot.
Jan Rasmusen says, "By helping to fund the Rabies Challenge studies, we have the chance to help better the lives of, not just hundreds of dogs, or even thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dogs. We can potentially help to improve the health of every pet dog in America. How exciting is that!"
The anonymous donors add: "We are totally dedicated to the Rabies Challenge Fund and its mission and are so pleased to be able to support it with this matching gift of $25,000."
From May 1st to August 31st, for donations of $100 or more, Jan and the anonymous donors will match $1 of every $2 donated up to $35,000, and Jan will send an autographed copy of her book for donations above $500 as well. Also, Chiclet has enlisted the support of canine movie star, Benji, who says "This important study is long overdue. I give the Rabies Challenge study four BIG paws up!"
"Donations from our team of dedicated supporters, like Jan and the anonymous dog lovers, along with steady grass-roots public contributions have launched our second year of fund-raising with a bang!" responds Fund Co-Trustee, Dr. W. Jean Dodds.
Funded by grass-roots donations, the rabies challenge studies began in November 2007 with the goal of extending the required interval for rabies boosters to five, and then seven years. Dr. Ronald Schultz, Chair of the Department of Pathobiology of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, is conducting the studies according to USDA vaccine-licensing standards. Previous French research on the rabies vaccine demonstrated a minimum of five years duration of immunity by challenge. American serological studies showed a minimum duration of immunity of seven years.
"It is so exciting and important to get support for the Rabies Challenge Fund from as many dog owners as possible. The very generous combined $35,000 matching gift from Jan Rasmusen and the anonymous donors will go a long way to provide the funding required for these critically important rabies vaccine studies," comments Dr. Schultz.
Fund founder, Kris L. Christine, says, "We're thrilled about these generous gifts and Benji's endorsement, which will make a huge difference in helping us meet our second year's budget for the studies!"
Find more information on the matching $35,000 gift to The Rabies Challenge Fund at our website designed by Andrea Brin www.RabiesChallengeFund.org and on Jan Rasmusen's Truth 4 Dogs website at www.Truth4Dogs.org.
Posted April 15, 2008
To update you on efforts to change Wyoming's rabies laws, on Saturday April 12, 2008, an article entitled Changes to vaccine ordinance unlikely http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2008/04/13/news/19local_04-13-08.txt was published in the Wyoming News.
To the Editor:
There are a number of issues in the April 12, 2008 article entitled Changes to Vaccine Ordinance Unlikely that need to be addressed.
The state veterinarian, Dr. Walter Cook, seems to be unaware that the national organization of which he is supposed to be a member, the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV), currently recommends a 3 year rabies vaccination protocol in their 2008 Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control and has done so since at least 2001. The American Veterinary Medical Association also endorses the NASPHV's 3 year rabies immunization protocol.
Contrary to Dr. Cook's statement, veterinarians are not required to report adverse reactions to vaccines and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) stated in 2007 there is "gross under-reporting of vaccine-associated adverse events which impedes knowledge of the ongoing safety of these products." In an article entitled, A New Approach to Reporting Medication and Device Adverse Effects and Product Problems, (JAMA - June 2, 1993. Vol.269, No.21) Dr. David Kessler, former head of the Food & Drug Administration, reported that "only about 1% of serious events are reported to the FDA."
Studies demonstrating long-term (more than 3 years) duration of immunity for the canine rabies vaccine have already been published. In 1992, a French research team led by Michel Aubert published the results of a rabies challenge study in Scientific Technical Review (Rev. sci.tech. Off. int. Epiz.) 1992, 11 (3), 735-760 in which they demonstrated that dogs were immune to a rabies challenge 5 years after vaccination. The serological studies of Dr. Ronald Schultz of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine showed that dogs had antibody titers counts at levels known to confer immunity to rabies 7 years after vaccination, the results of which have been incorporated into the 2003, 2006 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines as well as WSAVA's 2007 Vaccine Guidelines.
Because the rabies vaccine is the most potent of the veterinary vaccines and associated with significant adverse reactions, it should not be given more often than is necessary to maintain immunity. Adverse reactions such as autoimmune diseases affecting the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at injection sites are linked to rabies vaccinations.
Rabies is a "killed" vaccine and contains adjuvants to enhance the immunological response. Mercury (Thimersol) is commonly found as a preservative in killed, adjuvanted veterinary vaccines such as Rabies, Leptospira, and Lyme. The combination of mercury with adjuvant components (aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate) are of considerable concern because of the reactive properties of aluminum, when in contact with mercury. Reactivity with aluminum is so acute that mercury may not be packed in checked or carry-on baggage on commercial airplanes, and there is currently a petition to Congress Petition to Congress, Removal of Aluminum Additive in Vaccines Resolution and Petition, citing as cause for removing aluminum in human vaccines that: "The combination of mercury plus aluminum is far worse than the sum of the two toxicities added together. The synergistic toxicity could be increased to unknown levels."
In 1999, the World Health Organization " classified veterinary vaccine adjuvants as Class III/IV carcinogens with Class IV being the highest risk," and the results of a study published in the August 2003 Journal of Veterinary Medicine documenting fibrosarcomas at the presumed injection sites of rabies vaccines stated, "In both dogs and cats, the development of necrotizing panniculitis at sites of rabies vaccine administration was first observed by Hendrick & Dunagan (1992)." According to the 2003 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines, "...killed vaccines are much more likely to cause hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., immune-mediated disease)."
A clarification on the Postmarketing Surveillance of Rabies Vaccines for Dogs to Evaluate Safety and Efficacy referenced in the story. Only the 246 adverse reactions to the rabies vaccine reported directly to the Center for Veterinary Biologics by the public, veterinarians, and pet owners had 72% of the dogs receiving other vaccines or drugs at the same time as the rabies shot. That is not stated to be the case further on in the report where they discuss the 10,000 adverse reactions reported by the rabies vaccine manufacturers, 65% of which were in dogs.
If the 6,500 of canine adverse rabies vaccine reactions reported by the vaccine manufacturers represents "only about 1% of serious events are reported to the FDA," then that would translate into 650,000 if all reactions were reported.
Cheyenne Mayor Jack Spiker and State Public Health Veterinarian, Dr. Cook, should be guided by the recommendations of the CDC's National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians and the American Veterinary Medical Association to determine the state's and city's rabies immunization protocols rather than seeking the advice of local animal shelters and veterinary practitioners to determine appropriate protocols.
Sincerely,
Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee
THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
Posted March 31, 2008