Passports/Rabies

Re: Passports/Rabies

Mark Hedberg — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 22:56:13 GMT

[quote user="Julian Earl"]

[quote user="Rob Davis"]

[quote user="James Laidlaw"] but on talking to MSD they have said their vaccine is licensed to be given from 3 CALENDAR months[/quote]

What a ridiculous and ambiguous thing for them to write. Three calander months could vary from 89 to 92 days depending on which months of the year one is talking about.ie between just under and just over 13 weeks. Although this is an absurb technicality, my understanding is that the vaccination needs to be in accordance with the data sheet (ie three calander months from what you are saying).

[/quote]

You think it's ambiguous now but just be thankful we're in the 21st century and not back in the seventies - we had a three-day week then!

[/quote]That's nothing, we had one of those just this month!!!

Re: Passports/Rabies

Bob Russell — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 15:07:36 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]

Maybe the vaccine is slightly more potent if given when the animal's life has included a February?

[/quote]

How would you get round the reduced potency in a leap year? Oh how confusing! Time to lie down in a darkened operating theatre.

Re: Passports/Rabies

Julian Earl — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:11:36 GMT

[quote user="Rob Davis"]

[quote user="James Laidlaw"] but on talking to MSD they have said their vaccine is licensed to be given from 3 CALENDAR months[/quote]

[/quote]

You think it's ambiguous now but just be thankful we're in the 21st century and not back in the seventies - we had a three-day week then!

Re: Passports/Rabies

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:09:42 GMT

Maybe the vaccine is slightly more potent if given when the animal's life has included a February?

Re: Passports/Rabies

Rob Davis — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:04:28 GMT

[quote user="James Laidlaw"]I'd hate to use my common sense...!!![/quote]

Careful now with this talk of common sense, it can get you into trouble...

Re: Passports/Rabies

James Laidlaw — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:57:14 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

From the regulations:

"(b) be accompanied by a passport issued by a veterinarian authorised by the competent authority certifying valid anti-rabies vaccination, or revaccination if applicable, in accordance with the recommendations of the manu-facturing laboratory, carried out on the animal in question with an inactivated vaccine of at least one anti-genic unit per dose (WHO standard"

Clearly the 12 weeks is not 12 weeks unless the data sheet says that is OK. If the data sheet says three calender months then that would appear to be that however illogical it may seem!

[/quote]

This is how DEFRA put it to me, the nobivac datasheet says the rabies vaccine can be given as early as 4 weeks, but needs a follow up at 3 calendar months of age. So I have no idea how this relates to when an animal can travel... 21 days after the 4 week injection, or 21 days after the second?

Calendar months seems stupid to me too, but it's on the sheet so what can you do - I'd hate to use my common sense...!!!

Re: Passports/Rabies

Bob Russell — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:08:35 GMT

From the regulations:

Clearly the 12 weeks is not 12 weeks unless the data sheet says that is OK. If the data sheet says three calender months then that would appear to be that however illogical it may seem!

Re: Passports/Rabies

Alet Engelbrecht — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:42:13 GMT

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]

The legal bare minimum is a rabies vaccine AFTER the animal is 3 calendar months old, according to license, with the next booster required in 2-3 years depending on brand of vaccine used.

However in most endemic countries the usual protocol is a first vaccine at 3 months (these animals are almost always born to vaccinated mothers) and then a booster 12 months later, followed by a 3 yearly top up.

The requirement for an annual rabies vaccine is odd, a peculiarly European thing, it has no validity based on scientific examination of vaccine outcomes.

[/quote]

I agree - really odd requirement.

Rabies is endemic in South Africa and with a recent increase in cases and exposure, local immunologists actively promote overvaccination, but that is to try to keep up the 'herd immunity'. With the large stray population (that is continually reproducing) and wildlife reservoir, the current recommendation is vaccinate at 3 months (for export calender month, but otherwise no one is splitting hair about 12w vs 3m) with a booster 1-9 months later, which means a revaccination on the 1 year birthday - apparently 1 year is too long with a significant drop in titre the closer to the year since the first vaccination. The preferable option therefore is the booster 1 month later. Most vaccines suggest 3 yearly boosters after the first year, but the recommendation is yearly now because of the high incidence.

Was at a very moving CPD a few weeks ago - very well explained the concept of herd immunity with work that was done in Tanzania. That said, I really do not see any need to ignore the data sheet in UK or Europe.

Re: Passports/Rabies

Colin Thomson — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:18:09 GMT

[quote user="bob lehner"]Re the annual v tri-annual re-vaccination question. Many UK practices do recommend annual rabies vacc boosters - even with Nobivac, which is licensed in the UK for three yearly boosters ' Because that's what's needed in France'. Is there any logic in this ??[/quote]

For us it started when folks who spent some time in France were coming back having gone to a vet there and being told off because their dog hadn't had a rabies vaccination for over a year - they then asked us vaccinate annually. So now we warn people going to France that they might encounter this situation, and give them the option, whilst pointing out that it isn't a requirement for re-entry into the UK.

Colin

Re: Passports/Rabies

Anthony Todd — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:58:34 GMT

[quote user="Rob Davis"]What a ridiculous and ambiguous thing for them to write[/quote]

Yeah, they're all "3 months plus" except Purevax, as far as I can see, which is 12 weeks.

How on earth NOAH let "three months" through is beyond me!

And, having been through a parvo vaccination- to- the- day case, it can be legally critical.

Re: Passports/Rabies

bob lehner — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:26:24 GMT

I would say you must go with the data sheet. Pretty sure there was a case in the VDS newsletter a while ago where the pup had been vaccinated at 12 weeks, not 3 calender months and ended up in quarantine.

Re the annual v tri-annual re-vaccination question. Many UK practices do recommend annual rabies vacc boosters - even with Nobivac, which is licensed in the UK for three yearly boosters ' Because that's what's needed in France'. Is there any logic in this ??

Re: Passports/Rabies

Stephen Courtney — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:45:12 GMT

The legal bare minimum is a rabies vaccine AFTER the animal is 3 calendar months old, according to license, with the next booster required in 2-3 years depending on brand of vaccine used.

The requirement for an annual rabies vaccine is odd, a peculiarly European thing, it has no validity based on scientific examination of vaccine outcomes.

Re: Passports/Rabies

Bob Russell — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:10:43 GMT

12 weeks is the legal requirement for the pets passport so stick with that. If the owner is worried about the level of protection offer a blood test two-four weeks later or give a second jab.

Re: Passports/Rabies

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 16:07:51 GMT

If it's anything to do with officialdom/certification err on the side of caution-so make it 3 calender months

Wynne

Re: Passports/Rabies

Rob Davis — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:53:13 GMT

[quote user="James Laidlaw"] but on talking to MSD they have said their vaccine is licensed to be given from 3 CALENDAR months[/quote]