Injecting some statistics into vaccination!

I'm just wondering, does anyone have any data on outbreaks of the diseases we vaccinate against?
I heard on a forum that there have been no cases of distemper for more than 50 years. Yet on another forum I heard that distemper was becoming much more common in dogs in council pounds.
Which is true?
Also, last time I looked into vaccines I was told that the Leptospirosis vaccine was very old and not very effective - only covering some of the strains and not lasting more than six months. I thought I read something about a new Lepto vaccine - does it last any longer or cover any more of the strains? Any news as to whether anyone is working on a better vaccine as my vet told me last time that Lepto was probably the thing we'd most likely encounter and was very nasty indeed.
And what's the story with parvo these days? Are outbreaks on the up with people falling out of vaccination? Does anyone have any data?
I'm totally up to speed on the case to vaccinate less frequently, but it's all pretty academic for me as I have an elderly relative who sometimes needs my help at very little notice so my dogs have to be ready to go into kennels and that means keeping their vaccines up to date. Are there some brands licenced for longer than a year? Would most kennels accept that?
Finn Hall, Weybridge, Surrey

Catherine O’Driscoll, Canine Health Concern, says…
No-one records outbreaks of disease in dogs. Intervet did ask veterinary practices whether they had seen any of the diseases in their practice a year or so ago. This was in order to publicise the need to vaccinate for their 'National Vaccination Month' sales campaign. However, they colour-coded the diseases and didn't give any numbers, so we're not really any the wiser.
Distemper is a very rare disease, and most vets will tell you that they haven't seen it in at least ten years. However, because modified live virus (MLV) vaccines are used, it is always possible that vaccinated animals can contract the disease from the vaccine. This is because the live modified virus is designed to multiply in the host over about ten days, stimulating an immune response. Ideally, the dog will mount a response and combat the disease, but if the animal's immune system is compromised, the vaccine can overwhelm the animal and frank disease is the result. In the Canine Health Concern vaccination survey, 55.6 per cent of dogs in the survey who had distemper contracted it within three months of being vaccinated. MLV vaccines can also shed into the environment (in recently vaccinated dogs' poo and pee) and revert to virulence, which is probably where any potential outbreaks might start.
Parvovirus is also now a relatively rare disease, although it does seem to pop up in rescue centres occasionally. My belief is that, as with the distemper vaccine above, rescue dogs are stressed and probably malnourished when vaccinated. This means that their immune systems are not functioning optimally, so the MLV vaccine can multiply and overwhelm the dogs. The problems I have heard rumoured occuring in gypsy camps are also probably to do with the fact that dogs who are stressed and malnourished are more at risk of viral disease than healthy well-fed dogs.
The thing is, duration of immunity (DOI) studies have shown that dogs, once immune to viral disease, remain immune for years, and probably for life. These DOI studies showed that dogs vaccinated once and challenged with viral disease every year for seven years did not contract the diseases. They were then blood tested for antibodies for up to 15 years, and they still had circulating antibodies, indicating protection.
Because of these DOI studies, veterinary bodies around the world have adopted the approach that we should seek to vaccinate all dogs and cats, but vaccinate them less frequently. They say that if you vaccinate a dog who already has antibodies to a disease, the antibodies merely cancel out the vaccine and no more immunity is provided.
It must be added that some dogs are unable to develop immunity to viral disease, particularly some of the black and tan breeds such as Rotties and Dobermans. There is no point revaccinating these dogs, because they just aren't going to develop immunity.
The Leptospirosis issue is a controversial one. Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease, which means that it can be contracted by humans. As such, there should be a government body recording the incidence of lepto. But there is none - presumably because it's so rare?
Leptospirosis is a range of bacterins, so no vaccine can give permanent immunity. The Lepto vaccine is thought to carry two or maybe three of the hundreds of strains. Also, its protection is short-lived, ranging between three and six months (although Intervet claims it has a lepto vaccine that protects for 12 months). This means that if you vaccinate against lepto annually, your dog could meet one of the hundreds of strains not covered by
the vaccine, and the vaccine's effectiveness may have run out months ago.
The other issue concerning the lepto vaccine is that it is the one most commonly associated with severe adverse reactions, including brain damage and anaphylactic shock, which can mean death. Dr Ronald D Schultz, the world's leading expert in this field, does not advocate the use of this vaccine, even in endemic areas.
There was a very good article about the leptospirosis vaccine in Dogs Today, and we carry this on the CHC website - www.canine-health-concern.org.uk. It's on the main page.
I would also suggest that it's worth looking into the homoeopathic nosode as an alternative to vaccines. Also, many kennels are now accepting titre (blood) tests showing antibodies to viral disease, rather than insisting upon shots.