Vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease begins, which should immunize around 73 million cattle and buffaloes

The first stage of vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease has begun in the country. About 73 million cattle and buffaloes (buffaloes) of all ages are expected to be vaccinated. The calendar runs until May 31 and immunization takes place in 14 states: Alagoas, part of Amazonas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Pará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Roraima, Sergipe and São Paulo.

Vaccination takes place in some states, but is already suspended in other locations, such as Espírito Santo, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Tocantins and the Federal District. The action is part of the evolution of the project to expand zones free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination in the country, foreseen in the National Surveillance Program for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (PNEFA).

João Pereira Jr is a veterinarian, works in the care of large animals in Porto Alegre (RS) and has been a cattle breeder in the region. He talks about the negative impacts that the disease could cause directly and indirectly. “If you have foot-and-mouth disease in that region, the cost is very high. In one property, they do sanitary slaughter, without using the carcass, everything buried and not just there. There is a ray (that) all animals around are slaughtered. It was the economic embargoes. You would not be able to export this meat anymore. The damage is immense.

The state of Rio Grande do Sul is one of the seven states free of vaccination by the PNEFA. The veterinarian points out that the gradual suspension of vaccination can be a great advance in the commercial and financial sector. “There is this entire program to withdraw the foot-and-mouth disease vaccination, it is done in a very technical, very conscious way, so that there is no harm in returning the disease to our country. (With this), we are able to show the world that the health of our cattle is excellent and, with that, we are able to gain access to markets that pay a higher price for our product”.

The Ministry of Agriculture recommends that vaccines should be purchased at authorized resellers and kept between 2°C and 8°C, from purchase until the time of use, new needles should be used to apply the 2 ml dose, preferring the hours freshest of the day.
In addition to vaccinating the herd, the producer must also declare it to the animal health defense agency in his state. The vaccination declaration must be carried out within the deadlines stipulated by the state veterinary service.

vaccine suspension

The withdrawal of vaccination suspends some costs, generates immediate benefits for producers and an opportunity for part of the resources to be redirected to help with the costs and investments needed to maintain the health status achieved.