Economic Impacts, Control and Eradication of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus

Infections with Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVD) are endemic in cattle populations worldwide and result in major economic losses; hence, many countries have begun BVD eradication programs. The authors estimated the losses caused by BVD, and the estimated annual losses in 2012 amounted to 4.5 million EUR in Hungary. In a dairy cattle farm with 1000 cows the acute clinical BVD could cause more than 166,264 EUR estimated yearly loss and the BVD-MD could be blamed for more than 10,203 EUR loss per year on average. The presented losses are probably underestimated as some disease effects are difficult to quantify, though they can indicate the income realizable in case of freedom from the disease, so can be the starting point of cost-benefit analysis of an eradication program. In the early 2000s, the control studies have shown that the seropositivity in northern and western European countries ranged between 1-95%. Systematic BVD control aims to deliver a targeted reduction in the prevalence of BVD virus on sectoral, regional or national basis. In the Scandinavian countries, the eradication program is based on detecting and removal of PI animals without the use of vaccines. These programmes have been very successful, and by the late 2000s, the cattle herds’ BVD infection in Scandinavia decreased below 0.1%, but in several western and southern European countries, the prevalence still ranged between 35-90%. In Hungary, the seropositivity was 40-50% in the 1970s, 60-70% in the 1980s, and 95% in 1999. The latest survey data in 2008 showed that the infection rate was 67.8% and 42.5% for herds and animals, respectively. The eradication has been obligatory in Lower-Austria since 2004, in Switzerland since 2008 and in Germany since 2011 with the use of vaccines. Mandatory eradication program started in Scotland in 2012, and began in Ireland in 2013 applying the Scandinavian method.