Heptavac P plus

The vaccine should be administered by subcutaneous injection in the lateral side of the upper neck observing aseptic precautions. All breeding sheep not previously vaccinated with Heptavac P Plus must receive two injections, each of 2.0 ml, separated by an interval of 4-6 weeks. Thereafter they must receive booster injections at intervals of not more than 12 months. In adult breeding ewes these yearly booster injections should be given during the pre-lambing period, 4-6 weeks pre-lambing, as an aid in control of disease in their lambs.

On farms where the incidence of pasteurellosis is high, a supplementary booster injection using a Pasteurella vaccine may be required 2-3 weeks prior to expected seasonal outbreaks.

Heptavac P Plus should not be used in lambs less than 3 weeks of age due to the possible immunological incompetence of the very young lamb and competition from any maternally derived colostral antibodies. Lambs being retained for fattening or subsequent breeding will require a full course of vaccination. At a minimum age of 3 weeks these lambs should receive two injections, each of 2.0 ml, separated by an interval of 4-6 weeks. It should be noted that Heptavac P Plus is the recommended vaccine for breeding stock since it provides optimal aid in the control of the predominant clostridial diseases in adult sheep by active immunisation and in young lambs by passive immunisation.

The vaccine bottle must be shaken well before use. The use of automatic vaccination equipment is recommended. Since the bottle is non-collapsible, a vaccinator with a vented draw-off spike or similar device must be used. The instructions supplied with such equipment should be noted and care should be taken to ensure the delivery of the full dose, particularly with the final few doses from the bottle.

The vaccine may be administered using a sterile needle and syringe, providing a fresh sterile needle is used each time the rubber cap is punctured, to avoid contamination of the remaining contents. Syringes and needles must be from gamma irradiated packs or freshly sterilised by boiling for at least 20 minutes. No alcohol or other disinfectants should be used for sterilisation.

Evidence of efficacy of the Pasteurella/Mannheimia component of Heptavac P Plus was generated in an experimental infection model and it is not possible to provide duration of immunity information using this system. There are reports that active immunity will last for up to one year and that passive immunity will persist for up to 4 weeks after birth in lambs from ewes vaccinated with conventional Pasteurella vaccines.

Heptavac P Plus has been developed following research and development which resulted in the application of Plus ‘IRP’ technology for the manufacture of the Pasteurella/Mannheimia components of this vaccine. The inclusion of these IRP components should provide enhanced efficacy and cross protection e.g. protection against serotype A12, which is not included in the vaccine, has been demonstrated. Studies on the response of sheep to this vaccine show that two injections separated by an interval of 4-6 weeks are required to gain the full benefit of the ‘IRP’.