Users´ thoughts and experiences are the most relevant way of discovering the main characteristics and advantages that this intradermal needle-free device can offer to swine producers.

The main advantages identified have been divided into the following topics:

• User-friendly and better time management
• Reduction of the risk of spreading viraemic disease
• Elimination of the possibility of broken needles and damage to the carcass
• Less stress and pain for the animals
• Precision
• Traceability

User-friendly and better time management

Globally, on any pig farm across the world, time is money. A vaccination programme is an essential part of any producer's toolbox to maintain herd health, but it is a tool that should be used wisely. It must be safe and easy to carry out for employees. Pig producers should get the most value from the vaccines they use, and from their employees' time spent administering them.¹

For Alexander Igolnik, veterinarian, Russia, with 12,000 sows in production “Hipradermic® allows us to easily and quickly carry out mass vaccination of animals. The device proved to be very reliable and very easy to use, the staff quickly mastered the work with Hipradermic®”.

Erika Romerde, Farm Veterinarian, The Philippines. “It is actually easy to use, efficient (especially with mass vaccination) and safe to use”.

David Owers runs a 700-sow farrow-to-finish unit in Lincolnshire, UK “Sows are vaccinated from behind while they eat, meaning there is less chance of staff being trapped or crushed”.

Reduction of the risk of spreading viraemic disease

This can occur by injection (iatrogenically) when re-using the same needle-syringe on multiple animals.

Sara Silva is responsible for a farm in a high density area located in the central region of Portugal. When a PRRS outbreak occurred in early 2018, the vet decided that a piglet vaccination programme was needed. The vaccine choice for the piglets was UNISTRAIN PRRS®, via the intradermal route.

“We chose the intradermal route over intramuscular mainly to avoid disease spread between individuals. When we use intramuscular administration, we try to change needles between litters, but it’s often impractical to do this. With Hipradermic® we can go faster without having to worry about disease spread”.

Elimination of the possibility of broken needles and damage to the carcass

The elimination of broken needles and associated carcass trim are important in pork quality assurance. These factors have been targeted by different national pork producers’ associations in the “One Is Too Many” needle awareness campaign.

In this respect, Alexander Igolnik states that “Hipradermic® avoids the problems that accompany the use of needles. For example: needles can bend or even break, which significantly slows down the vaccination process. Also, with needles sometimes you cannot get into the muscle, leaving the vaccine in the fat layer.

Plus, with intramuscular administration of the vaccine, local inflammatory reactions, such as abscesses, are possible. We have vaccinated more than 60,000 sows with Hipradermic®, and not a single abscess”.

Edwin van 't Foort is responsible for the farrowing unit on a farm in The Netherlands “Since we started vaccination without needles we see fewer abscesses”.

Less stress and pain for the animals

Intradermal injection is considered to be a less invasive technique, causing less stress and pain for the animals. Lowering the pain and stress of pigs in production has been shown to increase their general health and growth capabilities² .

Sara Silva noticed that “When using the device to vaccinate sows, we have much less stress in the animals and mass vaccinations are a lot faster, not to mention operator fatigue, which is higher if we use IM products”.

Edwin van’t Foort has noticed that after vaccination with Hipradermic® “The sows remain lying down or standing where they are. They don’t suffer from it”.

Piyawan Nonsaket, who works on a swine farm in Thailand “Observed no evidence of adverse reactions and a decrease in fear and pain in vaccinated pigs”.

Precision

Proper vaccine administration is a critical component of a successful immunisation programme. It is a key part of ensuring that vaccination is as safe and effective as possible³.

Alexander Igolnik “There are no errors in the injection of the vaccine. The vaccine always gets into the animal’s body in the right dose”.

Samran Pongsa owns a 1000-sow farm in Thailand “Hipradermic® as a needle-free device displays accuracy in the administration of the vaccine with an optimal dose delivery on the surface of the pig’s skin”.

Traceability

All vaccination data generated by Hipradermic® are recorded on HIPRAlink® Vaccination, allowing the management, control and analysis of the vaccination activity. It is the first and only needle-free device that automatically recognises the vaccine and traces the vaccination process.

Ronn Catinding, farm owner, in The Philippines “We could even check offsite what happened in a certain mass vaccination and the vaccination history of our farms”.

Sonia Bel, Veterinarian in Spain “I can know how the vaccination session went even when I am not at the farm”.

Intradermal vaccination with a needle-free device such as Hipradermic® is an advanced, easy and reliable vaccination method that improves the lives of both users and animals. More and more producers and veterinarians from different countries around the world are using this vaccination system, aware of the benefits to them, that will certainly put them in a better position to tackle some of the challenges that the swine industry is facing.

For more information about Hipradermic®, please contact HIPRA local representatives.

For references, please contact HIPRA.