Bluetongue disease - vaccination Frequently Asked Questions

Update 1st May 2008

The first batch of one million doses of the vaccine is now available in 20-dose bottles.  A larger batch of up to two million doses, produced in 50-dose bottles, is expected to follow within a few days.

Please note new general licences for movement are on the defra website.

See below for some questions and answers written by a group of experts.

 

When can I get hold of the vaccine?

Availability depends entirely on where in the country you are. Defra’s vaccination strategy prioritises vaccine, making it available first to those most at risk and gradually rolling it out to the whole country.

The first farmers to receive vaccine this month will be those whose farms have been infected before, and those in the South-East where infected midges are most likely to arrive from the continent again this summer.

 

Where will I get the vaccine from?

The vaccine will be available as a prescription-only medicine (POM-V) from your vet. Many vets have been taking orders for vaccine since the turn of the year to make sure that limited supplies can be adequately shared.

It will also be available to buy from internet pharmacies, provided a prescription is given by your vet.

 

How much will the vaccine cost?

Defra has advised that the vaccine be sold at 55-66p/ml for 50ml packs and 82-98p/ml for 20ml packs. It will be up to individual vets to decide which price they charge.

 

Who will administer the vaccine?

Farmers will be required to vaccinate their own stock. However, if stock is being vaccinated prior to export, then it must be carried out or supervised by your vet.

 

Which animals can be vaccinated?

The licence applies to cattle and sheep, though other species such as goats and camelids can also be vaccinated against the disease.

Intervet’s Alasdair King said: “The target species on the licence is cattle and sheep but it does allow for people to use vaccine in other ruminants.

“What it suggests is doing one or two in the group first and make sure they’re okay and then you can do the rest of the group.”

With no test data on other species, farmers looking to vaccinate ruminants other than cattle and sheep are strongly advised to contact their vet before proceeding.

 

What is the dose rate?

Both cattle and sheep require a 1ml dose. Sheep require just one injection, and they develop immunity after three weeks.

In cattle they need two injections three weeks apart and immunity will develop three weeks after the second injection.

 

What is the age limit on animals for vaccination?

Animals must be one month old before they can be vaccinated.

 

Can I vaccinate pregnant animals?

Yes. While there is not enough test data to make a definite conclusion, the vaccine is an ordinary killed vaccine and vets are confident that it can be used on pregnant animals.

 

How long does immunity last?

One year, after which animals will have to be revaccinated.

 

Can I use the vaccine at the same time as other vaccines, such as Heptavac?

No. It is very rare that different vaccines can be used together, and Intervet has advised that the bluetongue vaccine should not be used in conjunction with others.

Alasdair King said: “This is a new vaccine and it’s very important that we get very good immunity to the bluetongue virus so we prefer nothing being used at the same time.

“People will need to manage their vaccination schedules a little bit more than maybe they have had to do in the past.”

 

Are there any side effects from the vaccine?

“The test results have been good,” said Mr King. “In the way of side effects we have seen nothing which affects general health. You get a small rise in temperature shortly after vaccination, but that’s what we would expect with most vaccines.

“Also, you can get lumps at the site of injection and again that’s what we expect to see with most vaccines.”

 

I am a smallholder, a 50ml vaccine pack is too much for me – can I share it with a neighbour?

Once opened, the vaccine has a shelf-life of eight hours and so farmers are being strongly advised not to share vaccine stocks.

Some vets are operating vaccination teams, to effectively share vaccine amongst smallholders. You should contact your vet to find out if they will be offering any additional services over the summer.

 

Once I have vaccinated, can I move my stock out of the protection zone (PZ)?

After 60 days, when immunity has set in, farmers will be able to move livestock out of the PZ into the free-areas.

They will need to a sign declaration to say that they have vaccinated the animals themselves, as well as provide a signed declaration from their vet to say that they were sold the vaccine in sufficient amounts to cover all the stock being moved.

For movements into Scotland or free areas of Wales, vets will have to administer the vaccine themselves and provide a veterinary certificate to accompany it.

Licences and declarations are available from the Defra website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/ notifiable/bluetongue/movements/index.htm#licence

 

Are there any restrictions on exporting vaccinated stock?

If you are looking to export animals, you will also need to have a vet administer the vaccine.

After 60 days, the animals can then be exported to a free country, such as Ireland, provided the farmer has a declaration to say that the animals were vaccinated by the vet.

 

Do products from vaccinated stock need to be labelled?

No.

 

I am sending my animals to slaughter in the coming months – do I still need to vaccinate them?

You need to work out exactly when they are going to be slaughtered. For fat cattle, it will be 6 weeks from the first injection before they develop full immunity while for fat lambs it will be 3 weeks.

So if you get the vaccine in mid-May, for example, then there is no need to vaccinate a cow that will be slaughtered before July 1 and for sheep, no need to vaccinate an animal due for slaughter before June 1.

 

If I am buying stock from a market, how can I be sure it’s been vaccinated?

It will be up to the seller to sign a declaration to say the animals have been vaccinated, but if in doubt, vaccinate again. An extra dose of vaccine will do the animals no harm, but will ensure that they have received their jabs.

 

I am not in the PZ and it might be some time before the vaccine is available to me. What can I do to minimise risk of infection in the meantime?

Vaccination is the only proven method of controlling the disease but there are some steps farmers can take such as use of deltamethrin pour-on fly treatments in cattle and for sheep, OP dips to reduce the chance of midge bites.

Also, keeping animals undercover where practical and avoiding moving animals at dawn and dusk when midge populations are most active.

 

Why has Defra opted for a voluntary vaccination scheme?

Defra claims the voluntary scheme will be the fastest and most effective way of vaccinating livestock in England.

“Our intention was always to produce something which met the needs of farmers and kept the complications down to a minimum,” said deputy chief vet Alick Simmons.

“We believe that having a voluntary scheme which reduces the complexity and maximises the flexibility is the best way to get the maximal use of vaccine as soon as possible.”

 

Why can’t we vaccinate from the top of the country down, to keep free areas free of disease and tackling the infected ones last?

Under EU law, vaccination is not allowed outside of a protection zone. In order to vaccinate in the North-West, for example, Defra would have to declare a PZ, bringing trade restrictions to those farmers unnecessarily.

Also, bluetongue will devastate livestock if left unchecked and with the South the most likely place for it to re-emerge, starting a vaccination programme there will hope to nip the disease in the bud.

 

Will vaccination get rid of the disease?

Mr Simmons said: “It’s too early to talk about eradication. It’s as a practical possibility, but not for this year.

“What we have to do is see how effective we have been this year by ensuring maximum uptake damps down the disease and we will reassess it towards the end of the year.”

 

If we get rid of the disease here, can’t it just come back from Europe next year, or the year after?

Yes, with the disease carried by midges it is possible that the disease will come back again from the continent. However, all other European countries already affected by bluetongue have now ordered vaccine and will begin vaccination programmes this summer.

The UK’s status is heavily reliant on the success elsewhere in Europe and so farmers will be keeping a close eye on their counterparts in France, Belgium and Germany this summer