Keeping Your Vaccines Viable

 

Vaccines are a vital part of keeping all livestock healthy. Vaccines help in the prevention of disease, which results in less utilization of antibiotics due to fewer sick animals. Vaccines provide protective immunity approximately 21 days following the initial vaccination in the majority of livestock. Some vaccines may require a booster vaccination(s) to ensure immunity for the period designated by the manufacturer. There are multiple factors influencing immunity, including but not limited to, medical history, vaccine type, method of administration, age, and species being vaccinated. A valid Vet-Client-Patient relationship will help you as you select the vaccine of choice for your livestock health program.

 

 

 

You are probably utilizing one of two types of vaccines: inactivated (“killed”) vaccines, which contain bacteria or viruses that have been inactivated by heat or chemicals, or modified-live virus (MLV) vaccines, which contain whole viruses that have been altered in such a way that, while they are able to multiply within the body, their ability to cause disease has been taken away.

 

 

So how do vaccines become worthless? Proteins are the major components of the organisms that make up both killed and MLV vaccines. Proteins are denatured by the interaction of two major factors: time and temperature. In addition, most common disinfectants will render modified live organisms inactive. So the anti-bacterial soap or even city or rural water, which contains chlorine, can have an effect on vaccines, when residues are present in your syringes or transfer needles. Thus, rinse with distilled water which is near the boiling point.

 

 

Other considerations for handling, storing and using vaccines are as follows: