A bill currently under review in the Oregon Senate proposes to eliminate the mandatory brucellosis (bangs) vaccination requirements in that state. If enacted, Oregon would join a growing list of Western states that have either rescinded or scaled back their bangs vaccination regulations in recent years.
Under current Oregon law, all female cattle must be bangs vaccinated between four and 12 months of age. If females are left unvaccinated, they may only be sold directly to licensed slaughter facilities. The law, as in most Western states, was originally enacted in an effort to curb the disease, which causes abortion in cattle and undulant fever in humans.
Since that time, however, brucellosis has largely been eradicated in North America, with the exception of the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA), the region surrounding Yellowstone National Park, where the disease remains endemic in both bison and elk.
Proponents of the new law argue that with the limited risk of brucellosis infection and essentially zero risk outside of the GYA region, the time has come to stop requiring a costly vaccination program for it.
“It’s been 25 years since we’ve had a case in Oregon, and that was an isolated incident,” said Oregon Cattlemen’s Association President Todd Nash. “We’ve spent an exorbitant amount of money on getting our heifers and cows vaccinated, and we haven’t questioned that for a long time.”
Under federal law, the vaccine must be administered by a veterinarian. Depending on a vet’s cost for farm calls, this can make vaccinating even a few head a costly operation.
Oregon is not the only state to reach this conclusion in recent years. California removed their vaccination requirement in 2020, as did Colorado several years before that. Even Montana, which contains part of the GYA, does not require vaccination outside of the federal designated surveillance area (DSA) that surrounds Yellowstone.
“There is a very strong control program to keep that disease within the DSA,” explained Oregon State Veterinarian Ryan Scholz. “There’s a lot of mandatory vaccinating and testing within that area to prevent spillover.”
That is not to say that the spread of brucellosis is impossible. Indeed, spread of the disease among elk in the GYA region has led USDA to expand the borders of the DSA numerous times, most recently in 2018. With a current estimated expansion rate of 10 miles per year, it is possible, perhaps even likely, that an infected elk will eventually reach Oregon’s border. However, Scholz said, when that day does come, the state is likely better off without a mandated vaccine program.
“The vaccine that we have is not particularly effective at preventing the disease,” Scholz explained. “It does do a very good job of preventing the symptoms.”
From a practical standpoint, this means that while the vaccine can be very useful in areas where brucellosis is known to be present, it can also mask the spread of the disease into new areas, allowing it to become widespread before the problem is identified.
“I don’t believe having a mandatory vaccine changes our risk of the disease being introduced into the state one bit,” Scholz said. “What it possibly does do is change how fast we can find it if it does come in.
“There’s a lot of work that goes into this disease not based on vaccinations,” he added. “What you’re better off doing is not blanket vaccinating, but instead relying on testing and screening to keep an eye on the risk.”
Under the proposed bill, quarantine and animal destruction requirements that currently exist in cases of infection would remain unchanged, and producers would retain the option to bangs vaccinate, should they wish. Many may find it necessary to do so in cases where cattle are sold or moved into neighboring states that still carry a vaccination requirement.
“If a producer chooses to vaccinate, the vaccine and the tags are still going to be free and provided by the state,” Nash said. “Each individual can manage in their own fashion, the option doesn’t go away.”
Scholz concluded, “The cattle industry—in Oregon and nationwide—has put a lot of work into this disease over a lot of years and has been successful. I think it is probably time to reevaluate where we’re at and make some adjustments to make sure that the requirements match the risk and the available science.” — Jason Campbell, WLJ correspondent
