What is VAS Awareness?
“VAS” stands
for Feline “Vaccine Associated Sarcoma.” Some also call this disease “Injection
Site Sarcoma” or "Vaccine Site Sarcoma". VAS is any of
a number of cancers, most commonly Fibrosarcoma, which are believed to be
triggered by vaccinations and occasionally other kinds of injections. VAS
is primarily an issue for domestic cats, though it has been identified in
ferrets and tigers, and recent research indicates that it may also occur in
dogs.
VAS Awareness is a
501(c)(3) non-profit
organization that was created with the main purpose of educating the public
about this type of cancer in cats.
Our Four-fold Mission
1) To prevent and
decrease the incidence of feline vaccine related cancers (also known as "Vaccine Associated Sarcoma" or VAS)
2) To support ongoing research involving feline vaccine related cancers, vaccine
safety, effectiveness and/or duration of protection studies.
3)
To raise the
public's awareness of Feline Vaccine Associated Sarcoma
while educating cat owners about current professional veterinary guidelines for
vaccines and about the availability of safer, adjuvant-free vaccines.
4) To
encourage and support profession-wide education of Veterinary professionals
regarding VAS prevention through the use of current professional veterinary
vaccination guidelines, and through the use of currently available, safer,
adjuvant-free vaccines.
Who are we?
The people who make up VAS
Awareness come from a group of people who currently have a cat being
treated for this cancer or have had a cat that has died as a result of this
cancer. We include professionals from the world of business and veterinary
medicine. We are not anti-vaccination, but pro-education. We believe that
prevention is the best cure for this deadly cancer and that through public
education, the incidence of this cancer can be reduced dramatically.
We are pleased to be supporting
members of the
Cornell Feline Health Center. Are you
interested in supporting the continuing education and research of the Cornell
Feline Health Center?
Click here
for more information!
What we do...
We provide free
information to cat lovers through educational tables at Cat Shows, flea markets
and other events. All of our members are volunteers who donate their time,
computers, printers, materials and finances to create our handouts and
brochures. We also provide VAS educational lectures and presentations to
small groups. Much of the information that we provide has been created by our
members. As Supporting Members of the Cornell Feline Health Center, we are
pleased to have collaborated with veterinary professionals who are experts on
the subject of feline vaccine associated sarcoma.
Through
"Nina's Fund", VAS Awareness has created a way
to provide annual support for veterinary research concerning vaccines and
vaccine/injection related cancers.
Contact Information
For more information about Feline Vaccine Associated
Sarcoma or Injection Site Sarcoma, please
click here.
- For more information about how you can support
our efforts, visit our "How
you can help" page or
click here.
-
- To contact us via the United States Postal
Service:
- VAS Awareness
- P.O. Box 1756
-
Davidson, NC 28036-1756
The information contained
on this website is intended for general reference purposes only and is not a
substitute for professional veterinary advice. Veterinary medical information
and treatment standards change rapidly and while we make efforts to obtain the
most reliable, up-to-date information, some information may be out of date or
even unreliable. This information should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure
or prevent any disease without the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.
Always seek the advice of your veterinarian or other qualified professional.(12/2003)
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