Understanding the use and importance of vaccines

Welcome to another informative edition of the Talk to the Vet column, where we will discuss in detail why it is cheaper and wise to prevent an infection, rather than to treat a disease.

It will cost you on average N$700 or even more to treat than to prevent, and that is why it is always advisable to prevent an infection before it becomes a fullblown disease.

A vaccine is a biological product containing one or more antigens, derived from pathogenic microorganisms or their toxins, which will elicit an immune response when administered in animals.

Also, put in simple terms, a vaccine is a weakened form of a disease that is given to an animal to produce soldiers against that disease when it happens again.

Vaccination is the process of administering a particular vaccine, either through injection or orally. Vaccines are not used to treat diseases, but rather to prevent it.

I usually get calls from farmers, saying their animals are sick, and I would normally ask how long they have been sick, and if the farmer has attempted any treatment. Some would confidently say, ‘Yes Dr, I treated them with Supavax after they got sick, but it’s not improving’.

Mostly, in such cases, it becomes worse because animals’ immune systems (body defence soldiers) are already weak, and you can imagine how worse it would be when you introduce the weakened form of the disease (vaccine) to an already struggling animal.

Vaccines are normally kept cold in temperatures between 3-8 °C. It is very important to maintain the temperature range, otherwise, they will not produce the desired results, and will thus result in you not only wasting your money, but potentially further worsening the animal’s condition.

Due to a lack of crucial information and awareness on vaccines, most farmers like burying their vaccines in the sand, close to taps or water tanks, hoping the surrounding wet/cool sand will help maintain the vaccine temperatures.

But unfortunately, the truth is that those temperatures [wet/cool sand] are not even close enough to the required and scientificallyprescribed temperature for vaccines.

If storage is an issue, I would advise that farmers rather buy and completely use the whole vaccine on the animals once-off, especially the live vaccines (those that come in a powder and water-like solution).

Most, if not all vaccines, need to be bolstered (re-vaccinated) 3-4 weeks later to obtain sufficient immunity.

Ensure the vaccines are not expired and that you read the instructions for each vaccine, especially the amount and route of administration.

Please consult the veterinarian in your area, and discuss setting up a personalised vaccination timetable. Below are a few of the most commonly used vaccines:

Cattle: Supavax, Brucella S19, Lumpyvax, Pasteurella, Tri-sure and Tetanus.

Small stock: Multivax P Plus, One Shot Ultra 7, Pasteurella, Glanvac 3, Pulpu kidney.

Rabbies and 5in1.