Human Error A Concern.

Australian Horse Industry Council President, Barry Smith is concerned with the part human error has played in the spread of EI. “Although it is very early days, I am encouraged that the increase of infected properties and horses seems to be flattening out and that the disease is contained within designated areas. However, it is critical that people remain vigilant regarding their bio-security and do not inadvertently spread the disease.

“I think we are a long way down the track of managing the disease fairly well. It is circulating in the Red and Purple Zones in NSW and Queensland, but it is still confined to those areas. The supplementary vaccination of horses in the buffer zone is added insurance that the disease remains contained. I think the buffer vaccination was done as soon as was possible due to the availability of the preferred canary pox vaccine, which the experts say is the best vaccine for this situation.

“The aim is eradication, as we don’t want to have to live with this disruption in any part of the horse industry ever again. One of the great advantages of having horses in Australia is that we do not have to cope with a great many diseases they have in the rest of the world and we can move without restriction. If EI became endemic in Australia, it would change forever how everyone in the horses industry would do business.

“For the authorities to have contained the disease in a relatively small geographic area is a significant development six weeks down the track. It is important that people fully understand the disease and common sense needs to prevail”.