In this edition of Farmer’s Inside Track, Dr Sakhumuzi Nkosi is back with another episode on pig health. This time he explains why maintaining a pig vaccination programme is essential.
Just like humans need their medicinal boost to remain healthy, so do animals. Pig herds require a vaccine programme to stay in tip-top condition and farmers need to do everything that is necessary to keep the herd healthy.
Vaccines contain antigens derived from viruses, bacteria, bacterial toxins, or parasites. They are administered to pigs, usually by injection, to generate an immune response that protects them from later natural infection with the organism from which the vaccine was made.
What is an effective vaccine programme?
In the episode, Nkosi explains that vaccines are derived from the common diseases farmers face in the area or in the piggery. The vaccination is part of preventative medicine, so you are boosting and priming the immune system before they get an infection.
“A vaccine programme is a programme that tells you what to vaccinate against, when to give it, how to give it, which vaccines to use, and what diseases they cover.”
He says when one vaccinates, it protects the pig herd against diseases. “Some vaccines would cover one disease and others would cover multiple diseases.”
Nkosi also unpacks the biggest challenges that piggeries face – reduced productivity.
In this episode, Nkosi also discusses:
- Different vaccine types;
- How vaccines are used in piglets, sows and bores and much more.
Want to know more? Listen to the full episode of Farmer’s Inside Track.
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Option 3: Click here to listen on Google Podcast.
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