WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group meets in India

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG) recently continued its current project on small companion animal vaccination requirements in Asia with a seven-day meeting in India. Visit of the VGG to India commenced in Delhi where the committee met with veterinary practitioners and toured three small animal practices in the city. In a key meeting, VGG discussed national control of canine rabies virus infection with Major General Kharb, Chairman of the Animal Welfare Board of India. The visit continued in Mumbai where they met with academic microbiologists and dean of Bombay Veterinary College. The meeting of the group extended with Dr Nalinika Obeyesekere, a private practitioner from Colombo and founder of Blue Paw Trust. Following the meeting, VGG members presented a continuing education programme on vaccinology which was attended by 180 veterinarians.

Chairman of the VGG, Professor Michael Day from the University of Bristol, UK said, “This was a highly successful visit to India. Through meetings and site visits, the VGG was able to obtain good understanding of the particular problems faced by the subcontinent – in particular the challenges of control of canine rabies virus infection. There are an estimated 20,000 human deaths annually from canine rabies virus infection in India and it was encouraging to learn of a new governmental control programme scheduled to start later this year.” The VGG will next meet in China and Thailand in July 2013.