3 must-reads on veterinary immunization advancements

Photo: romaset/Adobe Stock

Immunization research and development in veterinary medicine is continuously moving forward and evolving. Canine distemper, canine influenza, canine parvovirus, feline panleukopenia, leptospirosis and rabies are among the deadly and/or highly contagious diseases that are currently being prevented with vaccination.¹

Although World Animal Vaccination Day is observed each year on April 20, today starts World Immunization Week, which includes human medicine and runs through April 30, 2024.² To highlight the importance of vaccinating animals against diseases, here are 3 articles that spotlight advancements in veterinary immunization:

1. No evidence of cancer found in dog after novel cancer therapy: A vaccination treatment developed by a researcher at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, is a form of immunotherapy that is currently under review by the USDA. The vaccine has also been tested in clinical trials and has demonstrated promising results for efficacy in hundreds of dogs.
2. Preventing canine parvovirus infection: Michael Lappin, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, director of the Center for Companion Animal Studies at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and chair of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association One Health Committee, lectured on CPV, among other infectious diseases, to an audience of veterinarians and other industry professionals at the 2023 Veterinary Meeting & Expo in Orlando, Florida. In this recap, he addressed the optimal ways to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases in dogs as well as vaccination.
3. Groundbreaking vaccination research shared at the World Vaccine Congress: A team of researchers at Anivive is collaborating with the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona in Tucson to develop a systemic antifungal vaccine. The novel vaccine candidate targets coccidioidomycosis fungal infection, commonly referred to as Valley Fever.

References

1. Vaccinations. American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/vaccinations
2. World Immunization Week 2024. World Health Organization. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-immunization-week/2024