Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Control and Eradication

BVDV is estimated to cost an average dairy between $20 and $160 per adult cow per year. These losses include medication and labor to treat acute infections, milk production losses in lactating cows, infertility due to decreased conception and early embryonic death, abortions, loss of weak, abnormal, or persistently infected calves. Large scale herd outbreaks such as occurred in the early 1990s are much more devastating and resulted in estimated losses as high as $1000 per adult cow. The wide variation is due to differences in husbandry practices and vaccine use.