Successful vaccination programs must be planned to meet the needs of a specific farm. There is a difference between vaccination and immunization. The most successful vaccination programs utilize both modified live and killed vaccines. A calf's first vaccination is critical to activate the immune system. A good vaccination program must be scientifically correct and still be compatible with the management practices on the farm.
Vaccination is the insurance policy for a healthy herd.
Introduction Vaccination is an essential component of any infectious disease control program for dairy farms. It is likely to be most effective when it is planned to meet the particular needs of a farm. Vaccination programs have been employed in Western Canadian dairies for a number of years with very good protection against some diseases and quite poor protection against other diseases. This has created considerable confusion with regard to the best protocol. It is important to remember that for most diseases the relationship between the infectious agent and the host is sufficiently complicated that vaccination cannot be expected to provide complete protection.