Vaccine court
The VICP covers all vaccines listed on the Vaccine Injury Table maintained by the Secretary of Health and Human Services; in 2007 the list included vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), measles, mumps, rubella (German measles), polio, hepatitis B, varicella (chicken pox), "Haemophilus influenzae" type b, rotavirus, and pneumonia. From 1988 until 8 January 2008, 5,263 claims relating to autism, and 2,865 non-autism claims, were made to the VICP. 925 of these claims, one autism-related (see previous rulings), were compensated, with 1,158 non-autism and 350 autism claims dismissed; awards (including attorney's fees) totaled $847 million. The VICP also applies to claims for injuries suffered before 1988; there were 4,264 of these claims of which 1,189 were compensated with awards totaling $903 million.
Raccoonpox virus
RCN has been developed as a recombinant for the delivery of vaccines against the plague (caused by bacterium "Yersinia pestis"), feline panleukopenia virus, rabies virus and other pathogens in wildlife and domestic animals. Controlling diseases such as the plague in wildlife and domestic animals is important to reducing its transmission to humans.
RCN is favored as a vector for wildlife and veterinary management over other potential poxvirus vectors because it triggers an immune response when it is taken in through mucosal routes, which is important for the widespread immunization of wildlife. Recombinant RCN (rRCN) vaccines been given to a number of mammalian species such as mice, raccoons, cats and sheep without side effects. The rRCN rabies virus glycoprotein recombinant vaccine was effective when given to sheep both intradermally and intramuscularly. Fortunately, the rRCN vaccine did relatively little harm to sheep when ingested orally, suggesting that rRCN vaccines used for wildlife management delivered as oral baits would be safe if accidentally ingested by sheep. Further studies are needed to determine the effect of ingestion of oral bait rRCN vaccines by non-target farm and domestic animals. Particular rRCN vaccines have been designed to effectively confer protective immunity against multiple pathogens. rRCN vaccines have been successful too in treating rabies virus in mice. These vaccines functioned by either expressing the rabies virus internal structural nucleoprotein (RCN-N) or by expressing the rabies virus glycoprotein (RCN-G).