Gippsland - How Now Gippy Now - May 2010 Edition
YDDP meets the gene geniuses
Disease prevention is an investment which can return significant dividends.
The corner stone of any disease control program is vaccinating against commonly occurring diseases in conjunction with good management practises.
Deaths and illness from commonly occurring diseases, which can be prevented by vaccination, can and do occur in unvaccinated herds or in herds where the vaccination program is hit and miss.
The cost of the loss of a single heifer to one of the clostridial diseases will far outweigh the cost of the vaccine. The cost of a human case of leptospirosis will also far outweigh the cost of annual vaccination of the herd.
Vaccination programs should be designed to protect against diseases that occur commonly in a district plus any specific diseases occurring on individual farms. The timing of vaccination and the selection of product are important considerations.
There are multiple brand names, combinations of products and varying vaccination schedules. Consult your veterinarian for specific vaccination protocols for your herd.
Vaccines do not give 100 per cent protection to 100 per cent of the animals vaccinated, but they do increase the level of herd immunity and the level of disease resistance in individual animals. they are not a substitute for otherwise poor livestock management practices.
Vaccination may be used in the face of an outbreak of disease. However, the best disease control programs are those that prevent the appearance of the disease in the first instance.
A herd owner/manager who has dealt with an outbreak of salmonellosis, and has vaccinated in the face of the outbreak, is very likely to vaccinate the herd with an effective vaccine at drying off, to guard against a similar occurrence next season.
Most of the commonly used cattle vaccines require two doses, one as a primer dose, a second about four to six weeks later and an annual booster. Little protection is provided by some vaccines until after the second dose is given. Vaccinate according to the schedule advised by the product chosen.
Cattle diseases for which vaccines are available include:
- Clostridial disease including blackleg, malignant oedema, black disease, tetanus and enterotoxaemia. These are usually fatal diseases in unvaccinated stock.
- Clostridia are commonly found in soil and also in the intestinal contents of normal animals.
- Leptospirosis which causes abortions, stillborn or weak calves, death in young calves and mastitis in dairy cows and serious illness in humans.
- Campylobacteriosis (vibriosis) is a venereal disease which is spread by an infected bull at the time of service. Infection can be associated with reduced fertility rates and abortions. Bulls are usually vaccinated.
- Pink eye caused by infection of Moraxella bovis.
- Salmonellosis caused by Salmonella typhimurium and S. dudlin.
- E.coli involved in neonatal scours in calves.
- Pestivirus can be responsible for infertility, abortions, birth defects, mucosal disease, ill-thrift in young cattle and immunosuppression.
- Mannhemia a cause of cattle respiratory disease.
- Anthrax (used under regulatory control in areas where anthrax has occurred).
- Johne’s disease (limited availability - seek advice from your government or private veterinarian).
All Gippsland dairy herds should be fully vaccinated against the clostridial diseases and leptospirosis, Gippsland herds will also routinely use vaccines to protect against vibriosis, pink eye and salmonellosis as well as some of the others listed above.
Labels carry important information on expiry dates, dose rates, injection site, recommended vaccination program, storage and occupational health and safety. Use a cooler to protect vaccines while they are away from a refrigerator. Most vaccines are packaged in multidose containers for use with automatic syringes, which must be calibrated to deliver the right dose and sterilised before use. Read the instructions and follow them.
For more information, please contact your nearest DPI Animal Health officer at Ellinbank on 5624 2222, Leongatha on 5662 9900, Maffra on 5147 0800 or Bairnsdale on 5152 0400.
