The National Pilot Vaccination Plan against the cattle tick has officially started. The trial will span seven departments and will support the validation of the vaccine developed by the startup Scaffold Biotech.
The plan includes vaccinating more than 4,000 animals across farms in Salto, Artigas, Rivera, Tacuarembó, Treinta y Tres, Cerro Largo, and Lavalleja. The first dose is being administered in November, followed by a second in December and a third in January. Effectiveness assessments from this trial are expected to conclude in April 2026.
“We take this step with both hope and conviction that this vaccine can become an effective and sustainable solution to a problem that has affected the country for decades,” the startup noted.
At the end of November, two Scaffold Biotech teams set out to the countryside to begin the vaccination process, carried out with the support of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) and the producers at each participating farm.
The Minister of Livestock, Alfredo Fratti, joined the first vaccination sessions in Tacuarembó and Cerro Largo.
