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The WSAVA Scientific Advisory Committee (WSAVA-SAC)has been created to advise and assist the WSAVA Executive Board in developing links with the academic world involved in research and development in Small Animal Veterinary Science. Its aim is to stimulate academic participation under auspices of the WSAVA and at the same time to promote worldwide access to knowledge resulting from research.

Members of the Committee:

Dr. Anjop Venker-van Haagen, DVM, PhD, Dipl ECVS (Chair)
Dr. Hylton Bark, BVSc., PhD, Dipl ECVM-CA
Dr. Michael Day, BSc., BVMS (Hons), PhD, DCs, Dipl ECVP, FASM, FRCPath, FRCVS
Dr. Maurice Roze, DVM, Dipl ECVO
Dr. Marc Vandevelde, Dr.med.vet., Dipl ECVN
Dr. Yoshito Wakao, DVM, PhD
Dr. Robert Washabau, VDM, PhD, Dipl ACVM

Pictured to the right: Committee Chair Dr. Anjop Venker-van Haagen (third from right) and member Dr. Michael Day (third from left) are pictured with WSAVA Executive Board members (from left to right) Drs. David Wadsworth (President Elect), Brian Romberg (President), Anne Sorensen (Secretary), and Luis Tello (Member).

Points of activity:

* To advise the Executive Board on proposed projects concerning research and standardization of diagnosis and treatment.

* To advise the Executive Board on recipients for the WSAVA Scientific Awards.

* To select the State of the Art lecturers for each WSAVA Congress.

* To nominate one of its members to take part in the Scientific Committee of the Organizing Committee of each WSAVA Congress, and to advise on the speakers to be invited.

* To approve the preliminary and final scientific programs of each WSAVA Congress.

* To provide the Executive Board with up to date information in case of an outbreak of small animal contagious diseases and zoonoses.

Key Projects Updates:

WSAVA Vaccination Guideline Group (VGG)

The VGG was convened in order to develop guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats that have global applications. The VGG recognizes that the keeping of pet small animals is subject to significant variation in practice and associated economics throughout the world, and that vaccination recommendations that might apply to a developed country, amy or may not be appropriate for a developing country. Despite this, the VGG strongly recommends that wherever possible, ALL dogs and cats receive the benefit of vaccination. This not only protects the individual animal, but provides optimum "herd immunity" that minimizes the likelihood of outbreak of infectious disease.
With this in mind, the SAC and VGG has developed the attached Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats to assist veterinarians throughout the world in developing vaccination strategies based on disease incidence and sound immunological principles, bothe of which are covered in the Guideline text.

These Guidelines also contain information on vaccination in the shelter environment and have been published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice:
Day MJ, Horzinek MC, Schultz RD. Guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats: Compiled by the Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG) of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA). J Sm Anim Pract 2007;48(9):528-541.

Unique to the Guidelines published here on the WSAVA website are a series of disease summary sheets and a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) section for added reader benefit.

Vaccine Guidelines 2007 (PDF)

Scientific Advisory Committee Update on Canine and Avian Influenza Virus

The WSAVA would like to offer information of quality to the readers of the WSAVA web page regarding the H5N1 strain of influenza. Since Avian Influenza, often termed “bird flu”, and the recently emerging Canine Influenza are front-page news items in both the veterinary and the human health press, not to mention the lay press, the WSAVA has selected several articles and other resources as well as summarizing key issues well worth the attention of veterinarians in companion animal practice.

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