I think this is important information and I tried to sent all the parts as one e-mail but it was too big for the digest to accept it. I have broken the messages down into three parts. I do not believe Dr. Kellon would have named the statements she did about the vaccine if did what it was suppose to do. This is the second part of three parts.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Pollock" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "David Gabbard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, June 03, 2002 1:06 AM Subject: Ok Here is another one > Here is another from a vet in California. > > > Message: 4 > Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 11:12:45 -0700 > From: "S. K. McCarthy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: West Nile Virus vaccine > > Whether it comes from successful hype by Fort Dodge, or from the > reasonable expectation that the virus will be nationwide in short > order, horses in my area have been getting vaccinated for West Nile > Virus even though the virus does not yet exist out here. I am in > California, and we have all the vectors and required hosts in plenty. > For good or bad, I have vaccinated several hundred horses with this > vaccine (including my own) and my colleagues past and present (I > recently changed practices) have vaccinated at least a thousand or > two more. This is what I have observed. > > The vaccine has been well tolerated in terms of few fevers, sore > necks, etc that could be attributed to the West Nile vaccine. In many > cases I was giving other vaccines at the same time, and it is > difficult to know whether any resulting fever/soreness was from the > West Nile vaccine or others given simultaneously. As I have had no > adverse reports when giving the second booster by itself, I am > inclined to think that the West Nile vaccine was not the culprit in > earlier reactions. I had one young horse develop a fever about four > hours after initial vaccination, but this seems a bit soon to be a > standard vaccine reaction. I had heard anecdotal reports of a couple > of vaccinated horses having a high GGT, but this has not really > panned out as far as I know. > > More importantly I think I can add info regarding the matter of signs > of the disease showing up in fully vaccinated horses, and whether > these signs were in fact caused by the vaccination. In several > thousand doses administered, in an area where the actual disease DOES > NOT yet exist, I have seen and heard of no horses showing signs that > remotely resembled what I have been led to expect with disease from > West Nile virus. This suggests to me that the Florida horses who > showed signs of the disease after vaccination either were not > protected and developed the disease anyway, or the vaccination has > these effects only in the presence of natural virus. > > Keeping in mind that like many diseases, serologic testing indicates > that the exposure rate to West Nile is far higher than the case rate. > One has to wonder if some of these horses had already been exposed to > the virus prior to vaccination without ever having become > symptomatic. Perhaps the vaccine affects such horses differently? > > The harder one looks at the problem, the more complex it gets. > Certainly the rate of disease in fully vaccinated horses makes me > wish to reconsider my policies. (I currently recommend vaccination > but am not remotely dogmatic about it.) If it turns out that more > doses are necessary to get good protection, then I will look smart > when the disease gets here and my and my client's horses are > protected from vaccinating well in advance and probably getting at > least a third dose in a year after the first series. On the other > hand, I am going to look pretty stupid if it turns out that the > vaccination is ineffective and I have been spending my client's money > on a useless vaccine. All I can do at this point, is try to stay > current on the information as it emerges, and make the best judgment > I can. If the vaccine is as safe as it seems so far, then at least > all I risk is wasted effort and money, rather than the well-being of > my patients. It certainly gives food for thought. > > Sarah McC, DVM > > > > Don & Linda Pollock > Badge Motto: Audacter et Strenue > JR, Bay Star, Rusty and the cats and dogs > 1400 Birdie Road > Lawrenceburg, Ky. 40342 > E-Mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
