A space–time cluster of adverse events associated with canine rabies vaccine

• Published in: Vaccine Vol. 23; no. 48; pp. 5557 - 5562
• Main Authors: Moore, George E., Ward, Michael P., Kulldorff, Martin, Caldanaro, Richard J., Guptill, Lynn F., Lewis, Hugh B., Glickman, Lawrence T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2005; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems; Adverse events; Animals; Applied microbiology; Biological and medical sciences; Dog Diseases - epidemiology; Dog Diseases - etiology; Dog Diseases - prevention & control; Dogs; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hospitals; Hospitals, Animal; Immunization; Metropolitan areas; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Population Surveillance; Rabies; Rabies - immunology; Rabies - prevention & control; Rabies Vaccines - adverse effects; Rabies Vaccines - immunology; Rabies virus; Rabies virus - immunology; Records - veterinary; Space-Time Clustering; Space–time cluster; Spatial analysis; Studies; Surveillance; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies (general aspects); Viral Vaccines - adverse effects; Viral Vaccines - immunology; Virology; Adverse events; Surveillance; Space–time cluster; Fissipedia; Carnivora; Nervous system diseases; Toxicity; Vaccine; Rabies virus; Infection; Virus; Mononegavirales; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Rhabdoviridae; Viral disease; Rabies; Lyssavirus; Space-time cluster; Veterinary; Dog
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2005.07.041

Electronic medical records of a large veterinary practice were used for surveillance of potential space–time clustering of adverse events associated with rabies vaccination in dogs. The study population was 257,564 dogs vaccinated in 169 hospitals in 13 US metropolitan areas during a 24-month period. Using a scan statistic for population rate data, significant space–time clusters were identified involving the Atlanta and Tampa/St. Petersburg areas during a 4-month period. Separate spatial–temporal analyses of these cities using coordinates for individual address coordinates identified one significant patient cluster (
P
=
0.002), associated with a 23.26
km-radius area in Atlanta (20 adverse events in 702 dogs; 2.85%) from November 2002 through February 2003. This percentage of adverse events was significantly increased after adjustment for host-related factors and the number of concurrent vaccinations.