After IBR outbreaks were reported on eight dairy farms in a small area in the Northern Netherlands in January, the outbreak in this area seems to have stopped. GD veterinarian Frederik Waldeck reports this on the website of Royal GD.
After those eight outbreaks, no new farms with an infection have appeared in this area. During the monthly surveillance investigation via tank milk, no further tank milk turnovers were found on free farms in February. ‘Although it cannot be ruled out that tank milk turnovers will follow in March. Due to the use of vaccination and tightening of hygiene protocols, the outbreak in the area seems to have come to a halt,’ says Waldeck.
He points out that a few other free companies have been infected this year across the rest of the Netherlands: ‘As far as we know, there is no relationship with the cluster in the north of the country. The occasional company that loses its IBR-free status is unfortunately part of it as long as the IBR virus is still present in the Netherlands.’
Waldeck hopes that due to the renewed attention to IBR, compliance with hygiene regulations, such as clean company clothing and materials, will continue. This also applies to veterinarians who send nasal swabs to GD if there is the slightest doubt about clinical symptoms, he says on the GD website. ‘Rapid detection of an infection reduces the chance of the virus spreading.’