Grass Roots Effort to Change Rabies Vaccine Law Underway(PRWEB) June 15, 2006 -- World-renowned vaccine research scientist and practicing veterinary clinician, Dr. W. Jean Dodds of California, and pet vaccine disclosure advocate, Kris L. Christine of Maine, have established The Rabies Challenge Fund, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, to raise money to fund concurrent 5 and 7 year rabies vaccine challenge studies in the United States. Dr. Ronald Schultz of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine will be conducting the challenge studies. He is one of the world's leading authoritieson veterinary vaccines and has been performing challenge studies since the mid-1970's. Dr. Schultz's data formed the scientific base for the American Animal Hospital Association's 2003 Canine Vaccine Guidelines.
In addition to the challenge studies, the fund will finance a study of the adjuvants used in veterinary rabies vaccines and establish a rabies vaccine adverse reaction reporting system.
Rabies vaccination is the one immunization required by law across the country for domestic dogs and cats, and researchers believe this vaccine causes the most and worst adverse reactions in animals. According to the August 2003 Journal of Veterinary Medicine, a research study by M. Vascellari and colleagues documents cancerous tumors in dogs at the presumed injection sites of rabies vaccinations.
Although pets used to be vaccinated yearly for rabies, the majority of state protocols now require re-vaccination every three years. There are scientific data indicating that vaccinating dogs against rabies every three years is unnecessary. Results of Michel Aubert’s French challenge study published in 1992 demonstrated that dogs were immune to a rabies challenge 5 years after vaccination and the serological studies of Dr. Ronald Schultz (Professor and Chair of the Department of Patho-biological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine) have shown that dogs have antibody titer counts at levels known to confer immunity 7 years after vaccination for rabies. The Rabies Challenge Fund has been founded to improve the safety of rabies vaccines and to determine, by challenge, if they confer immunity for 5 or 7 years.
The Rabies Challenge Fund’s first official sponsors are Deb Odom (Florida) and Dawn Turner (Arizona), who have committed to donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of their pet vaccine informed consent posters and informational flyers.
Tax-exempt donations can be sent to THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND, c/o Hemopet, 11330 Markon Drive, Garden Grove, CA 92841.
The Rabies Challenge Fund poster and more information can be accessed at the Pet Advocate's Town Hall Website http://www.zbirdbrain.com/PetAdvocatesTownHallCisSupportStudy.htm.
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