Telling the story behind a BVD breakdown

“This re-emphasis on BVD is a great opportunity for vets to get out on-farm discussing its impact, control and prevention,” says vet Kath Aplin from Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health – maker of Bovela®, the UK’s leading BVD vaccine¹.

“BVD is not a simple disease to control, however. While producers who eradicate the disease often enjoy improved fertility and better calf health, in the years following eradication, the herd will gradually lose any naturally acquired immunity to the disease, becoming increasingly vulnerable to reinfection through small gaps in biosecurity.”

The new BVDzero animation shows some of the hidden dangers for BVD naive herds:

“The example in the film shows a herd which rears its own replacements and, as many producers do, sends in-calf heifers away for grazing,” said Ms Aplin.

“What the producer doesn’t know is that there’s a persistently infected [PI] animal in the adjacent field – nose-to-nose contact over the boundary infects the in-calf heifers, which show no outward signs of disease.”

Ms Aplin added: “If one of more PIs are born as a result of exposure to the virus at the right stage in pregnancy, the entire calf crop is likely to suffer poor health – and if the infection reaches the adult herd, more PIs are likely to be born.

“It’s not always very easy to explain how BVD is spread, but viewing the animation with clients – and discussing biosecurity hazards – could be very helpful.”

Annual vaccination with Bovela® prevents the birth of PIs, so the herd can enjoy the benefits of being free of BVD while maintaining immunity against reinfection.

Bovela® lyophilisate and solvent for suspension for injection for cattle contains modified live BVDV-1, non-cytopathic parent strain KE-9: 10^4.0–10^6.0 TCID₅₀, Modified live BVDV-2, non-cytopathic parent strain NY-93: 10^4.0– 10^6.0 TCID₅₀. UK: POM-V. Further information available in the SPC or from Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health UK Ltd, RG12 8YS, UK. Tel: 01344 746957. Email: [email protected]

Bovela® is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, used under licence. ©2022 Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health UK Ltd. All rights reserved. Date of preparation: June 2022. BOV-00732022.  Use Medicines Responsibly.