Maybe distemper is a problem in public shelters still, but I do know we haven't had a case of it either with the not-so-great shelter I was formerly at or among 1500+ cats my own organization has dealt with. I feel very strongly that contagious illness should not and would not be a problem if shelters and rescues practice isolation and good hygiene, and I don't have any patience for those who use the excuse "we don't have room to isolate." It can be done, and you have to stop taking in animals when you can't provide hygienic conditions for them any more. What is the point of "rescue" if you expose them to deadly diseases from which they die in the shelter? Distemper shots are very inexpensive, and most shelters now give them to all incoming cats. I am surprised the shelter in Ga. didn't, Jamie.
