Disease In Dairy Herds Reduced By Vaccinating Heifers

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 53, 14 February 1949, Page 3

Disease In Dairy Herds Reduced By Vaccinating Heifers

The disease of contagious abortion, which has caused big losses to dairy farmers in many districts of the Dominion, has been reduced very considerably in incidence over recent years by the vaccinating of heifers with a special vaccine known as Strain 19. This vaccine is produced commercially in- Australia by Commonwealth Serum Laboratories and has to be flown to the Dominion as it has only a ‘limited life. The seasonal campaign to vaccinate heifer calves in the Waikato area will begin shortly. An officer of the Department of Agriculture said last week that farmers this year were proving a little slacker in regard to sending in their applications to have this important work done, for although the. closing date was January 14 only 392 applications had been received, compared with a total of 511 applications received by the corresponding time last year. It was pointed out that a special late fee was charged after January 14 and that farmers applying after this date would run the risk of having their calves vaccinated later in the season. Last year approximately 15,000 heifer calves were vaccinated against contagious abortion in the Wai!kato by the Department of Agriculture, but large numbers were also vaccinated by the various veterinary clubs. Farmers have beerl warned to have adequate holding facilities for the vaccinating of the calves, as the vaccine is dangerous to humans and last year serious illness was suffered by several operators who received accidental pricks with the vaccinating needle.