Assessment of the cost effectiveness of compulsory testing of introduced animals and bulk tank milk testing for bovine viral diarrhea in Japan

ISODA, Norikazu; ASANO, Akihiro; ICHIJO, Michiru; OHNO, Hiroshi; SATO, Kazuhiko; OKAMOTO, Hirokazu; NAKAO, Shigeru; KATO, Hajime; SAITO, Kazuma; ITO, Naoki; USUI, Akira; TAKAYAMA, Hiroaki; SAKODA, Yoshihiro

In Japan, BVD is categorized as a notifiable disease by the Act on Domestic Animal Infectious Disease Control. Once PI cattle are identified by laboratory diagnosis, responsible officers must promptly report them to a competent authority and cull them. Other animals in the same herds must then be tested for BVDV infection (outbreak investigation of newly infected herds). To control BVD in the Japanese cattle population, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Japan has promoted a vaccination and test and culling policy. In addition, optional measures, including compulsory testing of animals introduced from outside, individual tests prior to communal pasture grazing of animals, and herd screening using BTM, have been implemented in areas where BVD was becoming endemic and regarded as a serious issue that required to be controlled. In this study, considering animal introduction to a target area, we evaluated scenario models with options for compulsory testing of introduced animals and/or BTM testing using a previously developed simulation model. Cost effectiveness of the scenario model and convergence of BVDV prevalence by continuous implementation of the scenario were set as outcomes for each scenario model.