Vaccine preventable diseases

Research and surveillance of vaccine preventable disease and vaccine uptake in companion animals in the UK.

This project aims to characterise vaccine preventable diseases using electronic health records (EHRs) available through the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET). We'll look at trends in vaccine uptake of companion animals and assess whether these are affected by animal characteristics (for example, sex, breed or species) or their owners geographical and social demographic circumstances.

Using text mining methods, we'll isolate highly suspect vaccine preventable diseases from EHRs submitted to SAVSNET and combine these with laboratory sequencing analysis to look for trends in the geographical spread and seasonality of diseases, as well as looking at the evolution and transmission of vaccine preventable diseases. This will enable us to provide veterinary practices and owners with evidence to make informed decisions about their pets.