1 Executive Summary

  • The aim of this report is to:

Determine whether sales differ between Chilled and Frozen vaccines in each region. Further, whether some regions consumed more vaccine. Finally, the aim was to research further in light of above findings.

  • The main discoveries were:

More chilled vaccines were sold than frozen in every region. It was hypothesized this was because among other factors the chilled vaccine was cheaper, easier to transport and more accessible for farmers.

QLD consumed the most vaccine. It was hypothesized this was because 42% of Australian cattle is farmed in QLD. However, the demand was still greater than expected so it was hypothesized that other factors like warmer climate resulted in QLD’s elevated demand. This was validated by comparing NSW and NT as the former has a greater number of cattle while the latter consumes more vaccine and has the hotter climate.

The article concluded that there are shortcomings with chilled vaccines: they have a shorter shelf-life than frozen vaccines and are ineffective after expiry. This helped to find a reason for the use of frozen vaccines. The Data Story appeared to indicate that Chilled was superior as it was used more often. Instead Frozen is less regularly needed but can be useful if long storage is needed.


2 Full Report

2.1 Initial Data Analysis (IDA)

##select data
setwd("C:/Users/Helena/Desktop/MATH1005/Project 3/Data sets")
tick = read.csv("Tick.csv")
Book7 = read.csv("ResearchQ1Data.csv", header = FALSE)
ResearchQ2Data = read.csv("ResearchQ2Data.csv", header = T)

2.1.1 Quick look at top 5 rows of data

head(tick)
##             Region    Type  Sales
## 1 Brisbane.Moreton Chilled  22880
## 2 Brisbane.Moreton  Frozen    475
## 3  WideBay.Burnett Chilled  46635
## 4  WideBay.Burnett  Frozen    500
## 5       CentralQLD Chilled 169965
## 6       CentralQLD  Frozen   9000
names(tick)
## [1] "Region" "Type"   "Sales"
class(tick)
## [1] "data.frame"

2.1.2 Size of data

dim(tick)
## [1] 26  3

2.1.3 R’s classification of variables

sapply(tick, class)
##    Region      Type     Sales 
##  "factor"  "factor" "integer"

2.1.4 Summary:

  • The data came from:

The Queensland Government Department of Agriculture and Fisheries:

https://data.qld.gov.au/dataset/tick-fever-vaccine-sales

Collected from July to September of 2013 from across Australia.

  • Validity?

The data is valid because It was collected by a governmental body with an interest in accurate and reliable data analysis. It lacks bias as it was only released as an educational source with no agenda.

  • Issues?

The data is five years old. This means that the statistics are out of date and current trends may differ. The types of vaccines used now may be completely different and the preferences and usage between regions may have shifted. The data is valid for 2013 but may not be a useful source for 2018 analysis of Tick Vaccine usage.

  • Each row represents:

Each row contains a given region with a type of vaccine (either chilled or frozen) and a quantitative amount of each vaccine used.

  • Each column represents:

The first Column is a list of regions in which the different vaccines were used. The second column is the type of vaccine used. The third column is the amount of that type of vaccine used.

  • Stakeholders:

The people most interested in this data would be the manufacturers and distributors of both frozen and chilled tick vaccines. It could aid them in their production as they could produce less of one type of vaccine and more of the other to meet demand. They could also locate their production in regions with higher consumption to minimise transport costs.


2.2 Research Question 1: Is there a difference in sales numbers between frozen and chilled vaccines in each region?

data = table(Book7$V3, Book7$V1)
par(mar=c(10,5,3,1))
mar=c(5.1, 3, 2, 4)
barplot(data, main = "Frozen tick fever vaccines sold in each region of Australia", las=2, col= c("darkblue"), ylim=c(0,200000), mar= c(7,7,12,10), mgp= c(3.3, 0.2, 0), ylab= "Number sold", xlab= "region")

data1 <-table(Book7$V2, Book7$V1)
par(mar=c(10,5,3,1))
barplot (data1, main = "Chilled tick fever vaccines sold in each region of Australia", las=2, col= c("lightblue"), ylab= "Number sold", xlab= "region", ylim= c(0, 200000), mar= c(7,7,7,7), mgp= c(3.3, 0.2, 0))

2.2.1 Summary:

As shown on the graphs, there was a higher number of chilled vaccines sold for each region within Australia, with the highest difference being in Central QLD. Further research as to why chilled tick vaccines are much more preferred is because lowering a frozen vaccine below -20 degrees celsius will make it ineffective, meaning that whilst packing and shipping, special attention will be needed to make sure that the risk of damage is minimised, with shippers being careful to ensure that temperatures fall too low. Another factor that must be taken into consideration is the cost of each vaccine. It has been stated that by the Queensland Government that chilled vaccine costs approximately $5.30 per dose with an additional processing and freight fee whilst frozen vaccine prices are higher as it requires storage tank requirements. Additionally, the ordering times for ordering chilled vaccines are much more flexible with vaccines being able to order on Mondays and Wednesdays, whilst frozen vaccines are only ordered on a Wednesday. Finally, we must consider the vaccine itself and its storage- chilled vaccine is ready to use as long as it is used up in four days after being manufactured, however, frozen vaccines are to thaw and then syringed into a diluent pack before it is ready to use. All these different factors contribute to the fact that there is a distinct preference for purchasing chilled vaccines in ALL regions within Australia.

2.3 Research Question 2: Which regions of Australia have a greater number of vaccines sold and what factors may contribute to this?

data2 = table(ResearchQ2Data$Vaccine, ResearchQ2Data$ï..Region)
data2
##     
##      Brisbane.Moreton CentralQLD Darling DownsWest QLD Far North QLD
##   CF            23356     178966                 11786          3246
##     
##      North West QLD NorthQLD    NSW     NT     SA    TAS    VIC     WA
##   CF          32211    10006    776   9246     11     11     96   2236
##     
##      WideBay.Burnett
##   CF           47136
barplot(data2, main = "Total tick fever vaccines sold in each region of Australia", las=2, col= c("lightgreen"), ylab ="Number sold", xlab = "Region", ylim =c(0,200000), mar = c(7,7,7,7), mgp=c(3.3,0.2,0))

par(mar = c(10,5,3,1))

2.3.1 Summary:

Through an extrapolation of the data, it is evident that a majority of the tick-fever vaccines were sold in Queensland.

According to Meat and Livestock Australia (2016) approximately 10.5 million out of 25 million cattle in Australia are sourced from Queensland (approximately 42%). These large numbers suggest numerous facilities are required to support cattle livestock in Queensland’s agricultural areas, particularly in the central and Wide Bay Burnett regions. Tick fever can be fatal for cattle livestock, causing symptoms such as fever, anaemia, depression and weakness (NSW Government, 2018), thus, there is a significant need for vaccines in Queensland to protect livestock from tick fever for ethical and economic reasons.

However, it should be noted that the percentage of tick fever vaccines sold in Queensland is well over 42%. This suggests that other factors also contribute towards the high demand of this vaccine. As Queensland is one of the northern states of Australia, it is closer the equator and hence it is a relatively warmer region. According to the Northern Beaches Council (2018) and Eisen (2018), ticks are most problematic in warmer regions as these conditions are most favourable for proliferation and activity. Furthermore, according to Meat and Livestock Australia (2016) NSW has a greater number of cattle (5 million) than Northern Territory (2.2 million) however more vaccines were sold in the latter. Once again, this may be attributed to fact that Northern Territory is a warmer region enabling favourable conditions for the tick pest.

2.4 Research Article

2.4.1 Read research article on the Immunity following use of Australian tick fever vaccine: a review of the evidence

2.4.1.0.1 code linking URL of research article below (only the abstract is visible unless connected to UYSD internet so a file of the article is also attached)
browseURL("https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1751-0813.2001.tb10931.x", encodeIfNeeded = FALSE)

2.4.2 Outline:

The Tick Fever Research Centre conducted a clinical study of the cattle’s protection to Babesia bovis, B bigemia and Anaplasma marginale, in conjunction with past studies and unpublished experimental data to evaluate the degree and duration of immunity vaccines provides.

2.4.3 Summarised Results:

They discovered that the vaccine gave long-lasting immunity to Babesia bovis and B bigemia and it was uncommon for a loss of immunity unless affected by external factors. Only partial protection was found against Anaplasma marginale.

Regarding the efficacy of the vaccine itself, they conclude that there are shortcomings with the live vaccine in terms of shelf-life and transportation can be minimised, however expect that the frozen tick fever vaccinations over the complications that live vaccines pose.

2.4.4 Use of Statistics:

The article incorporates numerous tabulated quantitative results to represent the clinical response the vaccinated/unvaccinated cattle showed to each type of strain. Additionally utilises data graphically by presenting failures of the vaccines over each year in a column graph.

It would be more effective if they compared the failures of frozen vaccines to live vaccines as evidentiary support for their claim that frozen tick fever vaccinations can be the solution to problems with live vaccines.


3 References

Bock, R.E., de Vos, A.J. (2001). Immunity following use of Australian tick fever vaccine: a review of the evidence. Australian Vet Journal, 79(12), 832-839.

Eisen, R. (2018). Lyme and other tickborne disease. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: https://www.cdc.gov/media/dpk/diseases-and-conditions/lyme-disease/index.html

Meat and Livestock Australia. (2016). Cattle numbers- as at June 2016, Natural Resource Management Region. Retrieved from Meat and Livestock Australia website: https://www.mla.com.au/globalassets/mla-corporate/prices--markets/documents/trends--analysis/fast-facts--maps/mla_cattle-numbers-map-2016-17_rev1.pdf

Northern Beaches Council (2018). Ticks. Retrieved from Northern Beaches Council website: https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/community/safety-and-wellbeing/ticks

NSW Government (2018). Tick fever of Cattle. Retrieved from NSW Government, Department of Primary Industries website: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/about-us/services/laboratory-services/veterinary/tick-fever-of-cattle

4 Personal reflection on group work

In this group project, I focused on Research Question 2 ‘Which regions of Australia have a greater number of vaccines sold and what factors may contribute to this?’. As this is my second time working on a research question for a group assignment, I’ve noticed that I was able to complete the task with greater efficiency due to experience. Furthermore, as I am working with the same group, I have noticed that we’re able to collaborate with improved communication and cohesion, thus this group assignment was completed with ease.