National Tick Plan: Uruguay to provide free vaccines, with small farmers first in line

Uruguay will provide free hemovaccines against bovine tick fever as part of its National Tick Control Plan, the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries announced at a news conference led by Minister Alfredo Fratti.

The disease causes annual losses of as much as $90 million across the country and is the leading current cause of death among cattle, according to ministry data. It is one of the main health problems facing Uruguay’s livestock sector, causing both animal deaths and reduced productivity.

Researchers and technicians at Uruguay’s National Institute of Agricultural Research describe symptoms that can include fever above 40°C, general weakness, loss of appetite, an unsteady walk, isolation from the herd, and pronounced pale or yellow mucous membranes caused by anemia.

The free program will begin with small and family producers registered with the National Institute of Colonization and the Procría program. Fratti said doses would be administered between September and November, and veterinary technicians would provide the vaccinations at no cost.

The ministry said access will also depend on location. Priority areas include Artigas, Rivera, Cerro Largo, Salto, Paysandú, Tacuarembó, and Treinta y Tres, where cattle ticks are endemic. Rocha, Maldonado, Lavalleja, Florida, and Durazno are listed as second-priority departments. The vaccine supply will initially come from a private laboratory, while production is expected to expand later through the installation of a public laboratory in Paysandú.