>The links Sukie provided are very informative:
> http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/fs/gen/howvpd.htm
> *Antibodies and memory cells stay on guard in the body for years after
> the vaccination to safeguard it from the real disease germs.*
 
Beware generalizing where you should not, though.  From some of the
earlier statements given it was obvious that the foundation of immunity
has been badly needed.  Here is an important nuance: both the immunity
to diseases and immunity acquired through vaccination VARY.  They vary
with vaccine types, they vary with disease types, they vary with species,
they even vary among individuals.  If folks here think about it everyone
already knows this even if it hasn't been put into words before.  Think
of the diseases you have had before which offered you protection or
partial protection from later infections.  Some diseases provide no
protections, whereas having had others can protect you for years.  Ditto
vaccines.  How often you need boosters depends on the vaccine and
exposure levels.
 
*****Here is a ferret example of one vaccine which worked -- but for less
than one year.  During the original testing of rabies vaccines in ferrets
several were tried.  Some didn't work.  At least one worked but had bad
side-effects in ferrets even though it is fine for other animals (and I
know the vet involved in that stage of testing who adopted these ferrets
personally).  One worked BUT it worked for only 6 months -- yes, 6
months.  The original team realized that no one was going to vaccinate
their ferrets twice in every year to prevent rabies so that vaccine was
removed from the testing pool.  This information was made a matter of
public record by Dr. Judi Bell ages ago so anyone can seek it out easily
enough.*****
 
So, be CAREFUL.  Don't take a general statement from a primer on the
basics of immunity and generalize it in ways that are unwarranted.
 
Honestly, I think that immunity is maybe one of the three biggest ferret
health areas where lack of foundation most often leads to confusion
(personal estimation and observation so hense "think" rather than
"know"), so I really do suggest that it makes sense for folks to read up
on the basics and be careful to try to not readjust what you read
according to what has appeared in popular sites (often written by others
without foundations).  Then when you have a foundation on how the immune
system works then re-read the actual studies.  Belief just doesn't trump
actual numbers and good studies, as well as considering those numbers
from within the entire population to know RATES.  When it comes to
defining what is actually happening something firmer than faith in a
concept is required.  The popular sites tend to be confused often and
lacking knowledge of the basics.  There simply ARE situations where
trying to build a conceptual house without having a foundation leads to
an unsound structure, and I am certain that every single person here
knows that is true from his or her own areas of expertise.  It is no
less true in biology.
 
BTW, Dr. Deborah Kemmerer who is well known and widely loved here for
making many marvelous advances that have saved ferrets through the years,
for saving ferrets no one else could save, and for donating a large
amounts of her time to get that information out where it can help
everyone has done a careful study of the past and on-going research of
bad vaccine effects in dogs for a professional veterinary conference
presentation.  Here are two figures from one she considered typical
which involved MILLIONS of dogs and lasted over an 8 year time frame:
 
- THREE cases of autoimmune hemolytic anemia
- TWO cases of vaccine-related joint inflammation
 
Do you know how very, very many dogs died due to NOT having their
vaccines in those 8 years?  It's huge.  Meanwhile among millions those
two complications accounted for a total of 5 individuals.  (You can see
why RATES are important to consider.)
 
I was going to spend a lot of time today going through all that you sent
but frankly a number of your statements that you've made over the last
year + just don't mesh with how the immune system works, and I have
limited time to figure out where the confusion is starting.
 
Also, I already personally take rates of demonstrated problems into
account as well as some suggested ones that still lack proof (and I
still vaccinate except when an individual has a good reason to not be
vaccinated such as a reaction history, being on chemo, etc.  because the
infection risk is still worse), and let's face it, you aren't going to
budge, so why waste my time?
 
I figure the people here are for the great part intelligent enough to
seek out ferret expert vets and then discuss any questions remaining
with them after their reading and act accordingly, and that seems good
common sense to me.  It sure makes more sense to go by the advice of a
professional who is trusted to treat one's ferrets than by that of people
and sites who are unknowns.  I like to think that those of us who donate
time to help advance ferret veterinary care do so to supplement ferret
knowledgeable vets.  We sure can't replace them.
[Posted in FML issue 4643]