Squires, R. A. (2025) Cases of post-vaccinal distemper in dogs in New Zealand: context and implications. New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 73 (4). pp. 230-232.

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Abstract

[Extract] In their article entitled “Investigation of post-vaccinal canine distemper involving the Rockborn-like strain in nine puppies in New Zealand”, Gulliver et al. (Citation2025) succinctly describe multiple, mostly unrelated, young puppies affected by a rare but important adverse event following vaccination (AEFV). Eight puppies developed typical clinical signs of canine distemper (CD) 9–23 days after receiving at least one dose of a multivalent vaccine that contained live attenuated canine distemper virus (CDV). The evidence presented by Gulliver et al. (Citation2025), in the context of the near-absence of naturally occurring CD in New Zealand, shows convincingly that the vaccine caused CD in at least six of these puppies.

This editorial will aim to put this paper in context, explain why it is important (both within and beyond New Zealand) and elaborate on some of the implications of these interesting findings.

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