On November 1st, most of the Brazilian states will start the second phase of the vaccination campaign against foot-and-mouth disease, reports the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MPLS). This time, animals up to 24 months old will be immunized. Only Acre, Espírito Santo, Paraná and part of Roraima (Indian reserves Raposa Serra do Sol and São Marcos) will vaccinate the entire herd (young and old).
During the May stage, 197.87 million animals were vaccinated against a projected total of 201.23 million head. Vaccination coverage reached 98.33%. Currently, the Brazilian herd of cattle and buffaloes is 217,493,867. The states with the largest number of animals are Mato Grosso with 30 million animals, followed by Minas Gerais with 23.3 million head. The city with the largest herd is São Félix do Xingu, in Pará: 2.2 million heads.
Guilherme Marques, director of the Animal Health Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MPLS), says that “until November 2019, with the gradual withdrawal of vaccination, the direct gain of the breeder can be reversed in the improvement of the herd and with investments in inputs and technology that will bring greater productivity. ” The National Program for the Eradication and Prevention of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (PNEFA 2017-2026) divided the country into five blocks of states for the complete withdrawal of vaccination in the country.
Brazil is considered free of foot-and-mouth disease with vaccination by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The state of Santa Catarina, which has not vaccinated the herd since 2000, has been recognized since 2007 as a disease-free area without vaccination.
According to estimates of the Division of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (Difa) of the MPLS, in 2018 337,713,800 doses of vaccines should be used; in 2019, will be 308,235,501; in 2020, 269,395,197; in 2021, 155,118,834. With the reduction of the use of the vaccine, from 2019, the economy will be R $ 44 million; in 2020, of R $ 102 million; in 2021, from R $ 274 million and, in 2022, from R $ 506 million, reaching almost R $ 1 billion, without accounting for the expenses involved in the management of vaccination (labor, cold chain, transportation and others).
PNEFA
The National Program for the Eradication and Prevention of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (PNEFA 2017-2026) divided the country into five blocks of states for the complete withdrawal of vaccination in the country.
For the schedule, the suspension of the vaccine will be made as follows: 2019/2: Block I – Amazon region: Acre, Rondônia and Paraná; some municipalities of Amazonas and Mato Grosso; 2020/2: Block II – Amazon region: Amazonas, Amapá, Pará and Roraima; 2020/2: Block III – Northeast region: Alagoas, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí and Rio Grande do Norte; 2021/2: Block IV – central region: Bahia, Federal District, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Sergipe and Tocantins; 2021/2: Block V – Central-South region: Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina.
Even with Brazil beginning to withdraw vaccination, as well as other countries in South America, the Vaccine and Antigen Bank (Banvaco) is being created. Under the coordination of the Pan American Foot-and-Mouth Disease Center (Panaftosa), Banvaco will have strategic stocks of vaccines to which countries can resort in the event of possible health emergencies.
Vaccination care
– Buy the vaccines only in registered stores;
– Check that the vaccines are at the correct temperature: between 2 ° C and 8 ° C;
– To transport them, use a thermal box, put three parts of ice for a vaccine and sealing;
– Keep the vaccine on ice until the time of application;
– Choose the coolest time of day and gather the cattle. But remember: only vaccinate cattle and buffalo;
– During vaccination, keep the syringe and vaccines in the box and use new, proper and clean needles. Hygiene and cleanliness are key to a good result;
– Shake the bottle before use and apply the correct dosage on all animals: 5 ml. The correct place of application is the plank of the neck, it can be in the muscle or under the skin. Apply with calm, to avoid the formation of lump in the place of the vaccine;
– Follow cleaning recommendations, use the right needle, disinfect and change frequently;
– Do not forget to fill out the vaccination statement and return it to the official veterinary service of your state together with the invoice for the purchase of the vaccines.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.