Procedures - Vaccination

Section: Human Resource Procedures 
Procedure Owner: Ignition633 Ministries Nigeria Human Resources 
Procedure Name: Vaccination
Origination Date: August 2024 

Purpose
to protect animals from infectious diseases by stimulating their immune system to recognize and fight specific pathogens. Vaccination helps prevent outbreaks of diseases, reduces the spread of infections, and contributes to the overall health and longevity of the animals. It is a proactive measure to ensure that animals remain healthy and productive, reducing the need for medical treatments and minimizing the risk of disease transmission to other animals or humans.

Scope
includes selecting the appropriate vaccines based on the specific diseases prevalent in the area, the species of animals being cared for, and their health status. It involves scheduling and administering vaccines at the proper intervals, ensuring that all animals receive the necessary doses for effective immunity. It also encompasses monitoring animals for any adverse reactions, maintaining accurate vaccination records, and educating caregivers and owners about the importance of following vaccination protocols.

Definition
Vaccination: administering a vaccine to stimulate an individual's immune system to develop protection (immunity) against a specific disease. 

Vaccination programs for broilers are essential for disease prevention in poultry farming, particularly for viral diseases. It causes an immune response in birds to protect them from field infection.

When proper vaccination procedures are not followed, it could lead to vaccine failure and create a breeding ground for endemic poultry diseases such as Newcastle disease, coccidiosis, Infectious bursal disease (IBD), Marek, Salmonella, etc. Therefore, vaccination must be done promptly (depending on the vaccine and type of bird) to prevent and control disease transmission.

It is highly advisable to use the proper and effective route of vaccine administration, whether oral (water) or injections. And as many vaccines are administered to young chicks (e.g., Marek’s disease vaccine for day-old chicks), it is essential to use the correct vaccination technique because they are small and fragile and can easily be injured/killed by an inexperienced vaccinator.

Some common diseases that are routinely vaccinated against in poultry farms in Nigeria include Marek’s Disease, Infectious Bronchitis (IB), Infectious Bursal disease, E. Coli, Newcastle, etc. Suppose you have a respiratory illness on the farm (such as Infectious Bronchitis, Laryngotracheitis, or Mycoplasma infection). In that case, you should carry out a serological test to ensure which specific disease is involved so that you can vaccinate against the correct one. Contact your Director to contact the veterinary doctor for more information on specific disease and control measures. Salmonella vaccination is also possible, but you might not need the vaccination if you maintain good hygiene. However, it is essential to note that the vaccination only protects your birds against S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium, and such, your birds have the potential to pick up other Salmonella species.

You should also note that vaccination might not be 100% effective, and you must maintain good hygiene and biosecurity to aid your efforts at protecting your birds from disease through vaccination.

Proper Storage of vaccines

Vaccines must strictly be stored appropriately because it is very easily destroyed. Improper storage may cause the vaccine to lose its efficacy quickly, become useless, and even cause the same disease you are trying to prevent on the farm.
Vaccines should be stored properly at a 10-15 degree Celsius temperature.

Vaccination Schedule For Broilers in Nigeria:

Vaccination is incomplete without proper bio-security measures.

Important Tips for vaccinating your birds

- Do not add the vaccine to chlorinated water without using skimmed milk (powdered milk) or protective dye.
- Ensure the area and containers where you mix and dispense the vaccine are clean.- Do not contaminate the vaccine with disinfectants.
- For vaccination that is administered orally (water), do not leave the vaccine in the water for too long; one and a half hours is recommended. Also, ensure the birds all have water-containing vaccines at the same time.
- If you are buying or selling many birds, it is essential that you examine the birds. This way, you would know if the animals have been previously protected and what diseases are still present in the birds you must vaccinate against.
- Always buy vaccines from reliable veterinary sources—for example, the Hamster vaccine.
-If you are confused about what vaccines to give to your birds, when to give the vaccines, and how to provide the vaccines, contact the vet or the proper authorities.