For Equine Influenza Public Blog
I read David Lovell's Discussion paper with interest and for the first time since all this began I felt that at last someone who understood what was happening with EI was talking sense.
http://www.qld.equestrian.org.au/site/equestrian/qld/downloads/Influenza/David_Lovell_EI_discussion_paper_2007.pdf
Like most people here I have been following the EI sitation and reading the official sites. I have also kept up with this Blog to see what people affected are actually experiencing and how they felt about it.
According to the DPI, the official strategy is eradication. Fridays update says "Encouraging progress is being made towards the eradication of equine influenza through the implementation of the vaccination buffer zones. The number of new IPs over the past three days has not shown a significant decline, but is remaining steady with 140 new IPs on October 2 and 102 new IPs on October 3.” …….Between 100 and 140 new infected properties in one day!!! and that’s supposed to be encouraging!!!
When this began I supported the DPI eradication programme but like so many other people I have lost confidence in what is being done and I have lost confidence that those in charge are handling the situation efficiently and fairly. Initially it was said that vaccination was not the answer, but it wasn’t long before a vaccination programme was announced and once in progress it seems that it is being used selectively, with priority given to horses in the racing industry (approx 20% of horses in Aus) while the less influential equestrian/recreational horses (approx 80%) are being ignored.
There is so much conflicting information out there. On the one side are the official bulletins, on the other, reports from people giving information from personal experience. There seems to be no clear direction.
So far I have read that: Australia has bought all the available E-Vaccine supply in the world. BUT it appears that there are different types of vaccine and according to other reports, there is plenty available to vaccinate every horse in Australia.
In spite of the policy that no horses in the red zone will be vaccinated, racehorses within the red zone are receiving vaccination – but not other horses. However, some people with racehorses have had their childrens ponies vaccinated at the same time.
Within the buffer zones, vaccination is only for specific horses, ie: racehorses. On a property where there are racehorses and other horses, only the TB’s are being vaccinated. Some buffer zone???
Horses (racehorses) are being vaccinated in the Green zone, miles from any source of infection.
I have read on the DPI site that one of the arguments against vaccination is that it can mask the disease, thus increasing the likelihood of it spreading . BUT I have also read that racehorses are being vaccinated so that they can move around and still race.
There are lots more stories – the forums and blogs are full of them.
So far as I can see it’s no wonder that people have lost confidence and are angry and frustrated at what they believe is unequal treatment and lack of direction by the people they would expect to help them.
I feel angry and disillusioned. I do not believe that we are being properly informed and I do not believe that those people who should be giving us leadership and support are doing enough to help.
I see that a series of community meetings are being held throughout the various areas which are affected with input from the horse industry, the DPI and the Rural lands Protection Board. As someone who lives in the red/restricted zone I shall be asking just what the official policy is for people in our situation. We have been told that even if our horses are to be vaccinated they will be the last to be done. Do we just sit here until then and wait, and hope that our horses are among the projected 20% that the DPI anticipate will remain free of the disease, or if not, that our horses, especially our mares and foals will survive. Has anything that has been done so far worked out the way they said it would?
Will anyone compensate us for the horses and foals we lose, the stallions and mares who won’t be breeding this year. Will we have to bear the costs of all this ourselves. Will we all have to pay the cost of a programme which so far has done so little to help us.
When it’s all over – whenever that may be… will we still support the people who run the various departments and organisations that have let us down. I hope not!
Jay
http://www.qld.equestrian.org.au/site/equestrian/qld/downloads/Influenza/David_Lovell_EI_discussion_paper_2007.pdf
Like most people here I have been following the EI sitation and reading the official sites. I have also kept up with this Blog to see what people affected are actually experiencing and how they felt about it.
According to the DPI, the official strategy is eradication. Fridays update says "Encouraging progress is being made towards the eradication of equine influenza through the implementation of the vaccination buffer zones. The number of new IPs over the past three days has not shown a significant decline, but is remaining steady with 140 new IPs on October 2 and 102 new IPs on October 3.” …….Between 100 and 140 new infected properties in one day!!! and that’s supposed to be encouraging!!!
When this began I supported the DPI eradication programme but like so many other people I have lost confidence in what is being done and I have lost confidence that those in charge are handling the situation efficiently and fairly. Initially it was said that vaccination was not the answer, but it wasn’t long before a vaccination programme was announced and once in progress it seems that it is being used selectively, with priority given to horses in the racing industry (approx 20% of horses in Aus) while the less influential equestrian/recreational horses (approx 80%) are being ignored.
There is so much conflicting information out there. On the one side are the official bulletins, on the other, reports from people giving information from personal experience. There seems to be no clear direction.
So far I have read that: Australia has bought all the available E-Vaccine supply in the world. BUT it appears that there are different types of vaccine and according to other reports, there is plenty available to vaccinate every horse in Australia.
In spite of the policy that no horses in the red zone will be vaccinated, racehorses within the red zone are receiving vaccination – but not other horses. However, some people with racehorses have had their childrens ponies vaccinated at the same time.
Within the buffer zones, vaccination is only for specific horses, ie: racehorses. On a property where there are racehorses and other horses, only the TB’s are being vaccinated. Some buffer zone???
Horses (racehorses) are being vaccinated in the Green zone, miles from any source of infection.
I have read on the DPI site that one of the arguments against vaccination is that it can mask the disease, thus increasing the likelihood of it spreading . BUT I have also read that racehorses are being vaccinated so that they can move around and still race.
There are lots more stories – the forums and blogs are full of them.
So far as I can see it’s no wonder that people have lost confidence and are angry and frustrated at what they believe is unequal treatment and lack of direction by the people they would expect to help them.
I feel angry and disillusioned. I do not believe that we are being properly informed and I do not believe that those people who should be giving us leadership and support are doing enough to help.
I see that a series of community meetings are being held throughout the various areas which are affected with input from the horse industry, the DPI and the Rural lands Protection Board. As someone who lives in the red/restricted zone I shall be asking just what the official policy is for people in our situation. We have been told that even if our horses are to be vaccinated they will be the last to be done. Do we just sit here until then and wait, and hope that our horses are among the projected 20% that the DPI anticipate will remain free of the disease, or if not, that our horses, especially our mares and foals will survive. Has anything that has been done so far worked out the way they said it would?
Will anyone compensate us for the horses and foals we lose, the stallions and mares who won’t be breeding this year. Will we have to bear the costs of all this ourselves. Will we all have to pay the cost of a programme which so far has done so little to help us.
When it’s all over – whenever that may be… will we still support the people who run the various departments and organisations that have let us down. I hope not!
Jay
posted by Horse Deals at
8:01 am
2 Comments:
For those of us who attended the EI Crisis meeting at Ipswich on Saturday we heard Dr Lovells in person he seems to at least have a plan and a way of implamenting it,
more than you could say for the representaives from the State and Federal Governments who seem to only concern themselves with their large pay packets and their next tax payer funded trip some where.
I for one will not be supporting these people now or in the future and we need to let there bosses know( the politicins that we elect) that we are not happy or nothing will ever change
Phil
For those of us who attended the EI Crisis meeting at Ipswich on Saturday we heard Dr Lovells in person he seems to at least have a plan and a way of implamenting it,
more than you could say for the representaives from the State and Federal Governments who seem to only concern themselves with their large pay packets and their next tax payer funded trip some where.
I for one will not be supporting these people now or in the future and we need to let there bosses know( the politicins that we elect) that we are not happy or nothing will ever change
Phil
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