On 23rd January 2018 HIPRA organised a seminar in Latvia with the title “Efficient eradication of IBR in dairy herds” where the technical aspects of Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) and its eradication were discussed and in which HIPRA offered a solution for the achievement of IBR-free status. The seminar took place in a lecture hall of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Jelgava (Latvia).

Around 30 dairy veterinarians from all over the country and professors from the Veterinary Faculty attended and participated in this seminar which was focused on IBR.

Juan Pedro Campillo (Product Manager for HIPRABOVIS® IBR MARKER LIVE, HIPRA's double gene deleted gE-/tk- vaccine against IBR virus) was the speaker at the seminar and explained during the first part of the session what the main impacts of IBR on a dairy farm are, not only in terms of pathology, but also with the presentation of economic data from published papers.

As regards IBR, he pointed out that its impact is very variable, ranging from severe to subclinical, that it is a multisystem disease and also that this is the disease which causes most economic losses in cattle in Europe.

The second part of the session was focused on how to eradicate the virus in our dairy herds. Three pillars (biosecurity, vaccination and monitoring) were presented as the most efficacious strategy for the achievement of IBR-free status. A review of the European situation with IBR eradication plans, reminded us that some countries have been successfully involved in the BoHV-1 eradication plans.

The last part of the seminar dealt with what HIPRA has to offer to the market for the control or eradication of IBR. The vaccine HIPRABOVIS® IBR MARKER LIVE was launched with the focus on its efficacy in blocking the circulation of the virus into farms, and the high level of protection of vaccinated animals suffering clinical signs.

After the seminar, all those attending had the opportunity to discuss IBR disease with Juan Pedro as well as the advantages of vaccinating with HIPRABOVIS® IBR ML, creating a good atmosphere in which everybody felt free to participate. 

With this launch, HIPRA continues its commitment to prevention in ruminant health in Europe.