Australia's cat plague is back after 40 years – and the solution is vaccination

Herd immunity is essential. If parvovirus vaccination rates fall below 70%, cats are in trouble

A deadly feline disease is now spreading between cats after hiding for nearly 40 years. Multiple cases of feline parvovirus, also known as cat plague, or panleukopenia, have been reported in stray kittens in the greater Melbourne area this week.

Feline parvovirus was a common disease in the 1960s and 1970s. Australia was one of the first countries to develop an effective vaccine. Once widespread vaccination became routine, the disease was pushed back into nature.