Treatment of a disease after its onset is not always effective and is often costly. Production losses often occur before diagnosis and treatment can be instituted. Herd health programs are designed to provide routine, p1anned procedures which will prevent or minimize disease. Many herd health programs fail in their objectives because too much reliance is put on vaccinations and other treatments. A comprehensive herd health program recognizes vaccination as an important tool, but not a cureall.
Effective programs integrate medicine and management to prevent disease.
Purchase and quarantine procedures should be employed to decrease the likelihood of disease introduction into the existing herd. In high intensity operations, increasing confinement means increasing exposure to disease-causing organisms that exist in all groups of animals. Such operations need more intensive preventive programs. Keep Disease Resistance High. Nutrition, management, and housing programs should be designed to keep resistance to disease high at all times.