Plan ahead for bluetongue vaccine availability

Intervet is urging sheep farmers to plan routine sheep and lamb vaccination programmes as soon as possible due to speculation over when any one farmer will have access to the bluetongue vaccine, Bovilis BTV8.

The first doses of the bluetongue vaccine are likely to be available from vets by the middle of May for farms in the protection zone (PZ). Thereafter, further deliveries will be at varying times over the summer months, and many farmers may not know when they will be able to use the vaccine until the last minute. Because the bluetongue vaccine should not be used at the same time as any other vaccine, Intervet’s large animal veterinary adviser, Rosemary Booth, says it makes sense to get any other vaccination courses out of the way as early as possible.

“Vaccinating lambs against pasteurella and clostridial diseases requires two doses, the first at no less than three weeks of age and the second 4-6 weeks later. The second dose is essential if lambs are to acquire the required level of protective immunity,” advises Ms Booth. “Delaying vaccinating young lambs could lead to potential conflicts if the bluetongue vaccine arrives between the two dosing dates.”

Ms Booth also believes that maximising lamb immunity against a range of potentially serious diseases before the main bluetongue risk period will enhance their survival chances should they be subjected to a bluetongue virus challenge. “The majority of the care for bluetongue-infected livestock in mainland Europe last year involved the use of antibiotics to combat secondary infections, rather than the virus itself for which there is no cure,” states Ms Booth. “The better the immunity a lamb has against a range of other bacteria, the better its chances are of surviving a bluetongue challenge.”