PORCILIS PCV ID is the first intradermal vaccine against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), and it is administered using MSD Animal Health’s needle-free IDAL® vaccine delivery system. This vaccine was approved by the European Commission in November 2015.

At the Epic Sana Hotel in Lisbon, MSD Animal Health welcomed veterinarians from all over the globe to attend sessions where the MSD Animal Health team provided further information on the PORCILIS PCV ID vaccine and the needle-free IDAL® vaccine delivery system. MSD Animal Health funded all travel expenses for attendees.

During the two-day meeting, field trials and studies were presented at the High Quality Pork Congress.

The results showed that needle-free vaccination is an option for swine production which makes the immunizationn of pig herds (especially big herds) much easier, whilst also preserving the welfare of the animals.

Not only is this a quicker way of vaccinating on the farm but it is also less invasive for the animals, resulting in less pain and stress for pigs. Therefore, the system looks to keep animal welfare at a higher standard. Moreover, the needle-free IDAL® vaccine delivery system results in a better prevention of disease spread by reusing needles.

Another advantage of MSD Animal Health’s needle-free IDAL® vaccine delivery system is the lack of risk of needles breaking. This translates to no needle pieces remaining in the pig tissue, which is essential to not accidentally delivering carcasses to the slaughterhouse which may have needles in it.

Vets from Spain, Portugal and Denmark talked at the congress to share their experience in the field with needle-free IDAL® vaccine delivery system. They all agreed on the fact that the system is easy to use by farm workers and it reduces the risk of self-injection among farm workers, as well as increasing efficiency by reducing the time needed to vaccinate large number of pigs.

From an animal perspective, it was observed a better behavior reaction to vaccination in pig herds: animals seem not to lose social behavior after vaccination and showed less stress along with less skin lesions.

With the addition of PORCILIS PCV ID to MSD Animal Health’s line of intradermal vaccines, the company now offers an ID vaccine for the three major swine diseases affecting pig operations across the world (Mycoplasma, PRRS and PCV).