Fears EI Has Spread To Tasmania
- Thursday, 11 October 2007 00:00
The vaccination program against equine influenza (EI) will be stepped up in NSW and Queensland over the next few days amid fears the disease has reached Tasmania.
A recreational horse in the far north west of the state is suspected of having the disease and all thoroughbred training has been halted.
The Australian Racing Board (ARB) said it appeared the horse had travelled to several shows around Tasmania and was now in isolation with results of tests expected to be known on Friday.
No horses have been permitted to enter Tasmania since August 25 leading to concerns it was transported by a human or on equipment.
Racing in Sydney and Brisbane has been halted due to EI in the metropolitan training centres with officials battling to get vaccinations out to those horses least at risk.
Confirmation of EI in horses at Barmedman in the state's south west has created a new red zone and raised concerns about the Riverina district close to the Victorian border.
There were fears the booster shots for horses who received their initial vaccinations the weekend before last would be delayed another two weeks but Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'Landys said the second doses would be rolled out over the next few days.
The plan to give the boosters 14 days later was called into question on Wednesday with some officials suggesting 28 days was the time frame, as per the manufacturer's advice.
"We are not going to risk a multi billion dollar industry," V'Landys said.
"Our advice is that for maximum immunity the booster should be given 14 days after the first vaccination.
"In low risk areas it can be given 28 days later.
"We want maximum immunity and minimal risk.
"We will be going ahead with Gosford, Wyong, Kembla and the pre-training centres and agistment farms."
The AUSVETPLAN which is in operation to handle the EI crisis says that in 2003 when the disease hit South Africa, an interval of two weeks between the first and second vaccines was used to produce the maximum immunity in the shortest time.
The racehorse population in Victoria, which is so far EI free, is gradually being inoculated in an attempt to protect the Melbourne spring carnival which generates more than $600 million to the state's economy.
The Sydney spring carnival was abandoned and racing is not expected to resume until December at the earliest.
Sydney's biggest training centre at Randwick was the first to go down with EI on August 30 but with most of those horses now recovered, movement to spelling farms began this week.
The decontamination of the Randwick stables is expected to be completed by November 15 when those horses on spelling farms which have been vaccinated will come into work to boost the racing population.
The horses which have recovered from EI will have immunity for approximately 12 months.
The Sydney autumn carnival has been tentatively scheduled for April, a month after its usual Easter date.
