The vaccine will protect pups as young as four to six weeks old
Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) has launched India’s first ‘nasal vaccine against dreaded Parvo virus’ for dogs. Branded as MEGAVAC-P NASAL, the vaccine will protect pups as young as four to six weeks old. MEGAVAC-P NASAL is an intranasal vaccine containing live attenuated canine Parvovirus grown in cell culture. Hitherto only an injectable vaccine was available for vaccination against Parvo virus.
Speaking on the occasion of launch of MEGAVAC-P NASAL, Dr K Anand Kumar, MD, IIL informed, “IIL through its research is constantly looking forward to developing products with alternate delivery mechanisms that will enhance safety, efficacy and more importantly customer convenience and ease of administration.”
Canine parvovirus (CPV) infection in dogs has been associated with outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis characterised by bloody diarrhoea, vomiting, depression, leukopenia, pyrexia, dehydration, with very high mortality rate. Puppies below six months of age are severely affected and adult dogs having inadequate immunity suffer from the disease. Interference of maternal antibodies, long survival rate of the virus in the environment, high infectious /contagious nature of the virus and susceptibility of the pups and weak animals are the factors that propagate the disease.
When MEGAVAC-P NASAL gets absorbed in the mucosal membrane in the nose it generates a mucosal immune response against the Canine Parvo Virus. Some of the important advantages are that vaccine is administered at the source of natural infection (nasal cavity), provides fast immune response leading to superior protection against disease-causing pathogens, safe, long-lasting and broad protection, less likely to cause allergic reactions and higher safety.