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| Leptospirosis Vaccination |
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 Leptospirosis is a common disease affecting people who work with cattle. Affected humans exhibit signs including fever, chills, severe headaches, muscle aches and vomiting. Symptoms may reoccur intermittently over many years.
Affected cattle commonly show no signs, but the disease can cause outbreaks of abortion in cattle or serious drops in milk production.
Studies from New Zealand have shown that 90% of all human leptospirosis cases have occurred due to contact with infected cattle, and that vaccination of herds against leptospirosis results in a subsequent reduction in the number of human cases of leptospirosis by 60%.
The only way to control the spread of this disease is to regularly and systematically vaccinate all of the cattle in your herd and thereby break the cycle of infection. This procedure renders a high proportion of the herd protected from the infection and, provided the cattle were first vaccinated at an early age, minimises the risk of cattle passing the organisms in their urine.
Pfizer Leptoshield (which protects against L. hardjo and L. pomona) or Ultravac 7 in 1 (which protects against L. hardjo and L. pomona as well as blackleg, black disease, tetanus, gas gangrene and pulpy kidney) are the only Lepto vaccines that claim to prevent urinary shedding of leptospires, provided that animals are vaccinated prior to natural exposure.
It is a very strong recommendation that all cattle in your herd should be vaccinated on an annual basis against leptospirosis. Vaccinating at the time of drying off is a convenient time to undertake this simple procedure which can do so much to minimise the risk of human leptospirosis on your property.
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Dr Jakob Malmo BVSc
Maffra Veterinary Centre, Victoria
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