Novartis Animal Health reminds dairy producers that persistently infected (PI) animals remain the most common source of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection.

“The presence of one PI animal, based on a herd size of 150 cows, results in a loss of $1.93 per hundredweight of milk,” says Julia Ridpath, PhD, National Animal Disease Center, Ames, Iowa.

That’s why Novartis suggests that dairy producers take steps to control, and even eradicate, BVD in their herds with a three pronged approach of testing and eliminating PI animals, vaccination and biosecurity.