Kat wrote:
>if we do not want another "outbreak" of this devastating disease...
>if we do not want hundreds of ferrets possibly exposed to this
>devastating disease again...then the shelters must have financial
>help to test.... and keep testing...
Yes, it is very important for shelters and owners to test - because
there is no vaccine and no cure for ADV, and the disease can be
transmitted by a ferret that shows no symptoms and appears to be
healthy.
Sad thing is, there could be a vaccine, and if there was, then testing
might be able to go by the wayside.
No one seems interested in helping to raise money for the vaccine any
longer, which is really sad. It also says something about the ferret
community in general. We would rather just keep testing and praying
there isn't a large outbreak, rather than doing something pro-active
about this.
The bird community has, over the years raised over a million dollars
for development of vaccines for their beloved companions. The very same
team at UGA that would be working on an ADV vaccine were funds provided
is the team that created these bird vaccines. Among the vaccines they
have worked on is the vaccine for Avian Polymavirus and Psittacine
Beak & Feather Disease or PBFD. The work on these vaccines were funded
in large degree by donations from bird owners and lovers, and not by
large corporations.
Development of a vaccine does not come cheap, and ADV presents an
unusual challenge. Unlike most viruses, the antibodies that ADV causes
the body to produce are non-neutralizing, which means they do not fight
off the virus, and so standard methods for producing a vaccine can not
be used.
However, in the last 15 to 20 years, there have been many technological
advances, and things we once thought were not possible now are
possible. One of the things that might make an ADV vaccine possible is
the use of Recombinant DNA.
At one time, people in the ferret community did seem interested in
getting and ADV vaccine, and there were various fundraisers for it,
but all that has stopped. People lost interest in this project that
could be beneficial to all ferrets, now and in the future. There is
a price tag, and while it is large, it is also something that could be
accomplished if everyone was really interested. The cost is $240,000.00
over a 4 year time period, or $60,000.00 a year.
Yeah - that seems like a huge amount, but how many ferret owners are
there? How many on this list alone? According to the number on
yesterday's issue, there are about 2400 members of this list. That
works out to $100.00 per FML member over 4 years, or $25.00 a year for
4 years. That is only slightly over $2.00 a months for 4 years. I bet
most of you spend way more than that each month on fancy coffees or
sodas. So, next time you visit Starbucks or where ever for a latte,
think about how you could be helping to make an ADV vaccine a reality.
I think it is great that SOS raises money to help shelters afford ADV
testing. But me, I will be sending my money to UGA for the vaccine.
Maybe someday we won't need to test any longer.
Danee DeVore
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit:
http://www.ferretadv.com
ADV - Find out how you can help:
http://help4adv.terrabox.com/
[Posted in FML 6520]
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