Vaccination in pigs - Introduction
Vaccines have a very long history. According to records, there are reports of using vaccines that resemble what we today call vaccination for about 2,000 years.
One of the first known such practices of vaccination included things like the intentional exposure of healthy people to a smallpox-infected person or animal. Centuries have since passed and smallpox is now considered an eradicated disease due to the development of new vaccines and massive administration of them to the human population.
Since the development of the smallpox vaccine, researchers have developed various other vaccines to control human and animal diseases. Although there are vaccines to prevent or control conditions that are not related to infectious diseases, most vaccines are used to fight diseases caused by microorganisms, specifically viruses and bacteria.
Why do veterinarians prescribe a vaccine for use in an animal or a herd? For the same reason it’s used in human medicine – to prevent disease and its associated symptoms and negative health consequences. Although with food animals, there is the added incentive of preventing poor performance, which can be costly for farmers.
Despite the extensive portfolio of swine vaccines available worldwide, not all pigs on a swine farm today need to have one administered. This is because of the strategy of disease prevention may change as the pig grows older over time and the risks are different. For show pig exhibitors, however, adhering to the health requirements for a particular event must be considered when they plan to attend. While most events only require negative laboratory results for a list of diseases, others might require proof of vaccination for certain pathogens, such as Leptospira. Meanwhile, for a commercial producer, the presence of disease in a specific geographic area is a very important aspect that needs to be considered in relation to where their animals are raised.
To ensure that you are using the best possible vaccination protocol for your farm’s situation, you must use some kind of monitoring/surveillance to compile information regarding the health status of the pigs. This means that periodically, you (or most likely our veterinarian) will need to collect biological samples from the animals (blood, feces, or oral fluids, etc,) and send them to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. There, a panel of diagnosticians will analyze the samples. Then, depending on the results, the herd’s veterinarian will be responsible for determining the best vaccine protocol. This could include or exclude a type of vaccine, change the age in which the pigs are being vaccinating, involve using a vaccine booster, and other changes. Therefore, it is very important to have a valid veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) in place before there is a health issue or emergency to ensure the best health outcome for your pigs.
Check out great resources on pig vaccination:
Iowa Pork Industry Center suggested vaccination protocol - By Iowa State University
Michigan State Extension video on Swine Vaccination - Less than 3 min!
Created by Dr. Resende, reviewed by Mike King - March/2024
Updated on September/2024