OEI

First of all, thank you so much Horse Deals for allowing people to express their thoughts on these tumultuous times.

I thought a lot of you would like to read an extract from the World Organisation for Animal Health re the outbreak in 2004 in Europe.

In the passages that I have downloaded for your information - TWICE it mentions that even up-to-date well vaccinated horses STILL GOT THE FLU.

Therefore, I would like to point out to people that the vaccination is NOT going to be the "do all" that a rather large number of you would have thought.

Quote: Influenza activity in 2004
Outbreaks of equine influenza in Argentina, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, the UK and the USA were reported during 2004. The outbreak that occurred during February and March in France was widespread and affected vaccinated as well as unvaccinated horses. All influenza activity was associated with H3N8 viruses. There were no reports of serological or virological evidence of H7N7 (equine-1) subtype viruses circulating in the equine population. Nevertheless, diagnostic laboratories should continue serological and virological monitoring and, when using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for rapid diagnosis, should ensure that primers specific for H7N7 virus as well as H3N8 virus are used.

Characteristics of recent isolates
All viruses characterised antigenically and/or genetically from Europe and North America during 2004 belonged to the ‘American’ lineage. In haemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests using post-infection ferret antisera, all viruses isolated in Europe were most closely related to the A/eq/Newmarket/5/2003 reference strain, whereas viruses isolated in South Africa and the USA were more closely related to A/eq/South Africa/4/2003. Antigenic differences between the two geographically separate groups of viruses were, however, not consistently observed.
The HA1 sequences of American lineage viruses isolated since 2003 in America, Europe and South Africa all fall within a single phylogenetic sub-group, previously referred to as the ‘Florida’ lineage (Lai
et al., 2001; 2004). The viruses isolated in America since 2003 (represented by A/eq/South Africa/4/2003 and A/eq/Ohio/2003) are characterised by two further amino acid changes in antigenic sites compared with the viruses isolated in Europe; these additional changes appear to contribute to greater antigenic drift from the /eq/Newmarket/1/93 - like viruses currently included in vaccines.

Recommendations for the composition of equine influenza vaccines
During the period January 2003 to April 2004, H3N8 viruses of the ‘American’ lineage caused widespread outbreaks in Europe, with well-vaccinated horses frequently affected. Unquote.

Being in the heart of the infection area at Warwick - and thankfully we still have not got it - I thought that many of you may like to know that keeping your affected horses out in the sunshine helps them to recover far more quickly than cosseting them up in the stable where they will continually get re-infected.

I too have a lot to lose with four horses over the 20 year old mark that are loved friends, however I believe you need to re-think the idea that the vaccinations will stop your horse from becoming infected.

And just one last point - the EI lodges in your nostrils and your ears, besides your hair and clothing - you should be scrubbing relentlessly all the time and disinfecting everything if you have been down the street including your car tyres as I believe that people have been spreading the virus more so than the wind drifts etc. - so please be careful before your handle your own uninfected animals.

Janice - Cadium Stud