What benefits do we enjoy from medical research using animals?

Many medical advances this century have resulted in some way from the use of animals in research.  Thanks to this research, plus better diet and improved hygiene, we live 25 years longer on average than our great grandparents.

Recent advances include...

• Until the 1960s, polio epidemics used to cripple hundreds of young Australians and New Zealanders every few years.  Vaccines perfected using monkeys have almost eradicated this disease.
• Leprosy has been a scourge of mankind since biblical times.  It is still a major health problem in the Pacific Islands.  Now, thanks to a vaccine developed using armadillos, leprosy is likely to be eradicated.
• Coronary by-pass and open-heart surgery were pioneered on dogs.  Without their help, many of the 10,000 Australians and 2000 New Zealanders who receive heart surgery annually would not be here today.
• The cure rate for children dying from one type of leukaemia has been increased from 4 per cent in 1965 to more than 70 per cent today largely as a result of research with animals.

The list of benefits from animal research is almost endless.  Each year, on both sides of the Tasman, it includes...

• 12,000 arthritic hip replacements for people who would otherwise be in wheelchairs;
• Cataract surgery for about 6000 people who would otherwise be blind in one or both eyes;

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