Vaccination in Purple and Red Zone Q and A

Wendy Cohen, Sunday, 21 October 2007
How to get your horse vaccinated if you are EI free and in the Red or Purple Zone

CRITERIA

- In the Red or Purple Zone
- No EI on property
- Reasonable expectation of staying free of disease for 7-14 days

HOW DO I GET IT

EFA Members contact your vet and ask if they can give vaccination
If you are an EFA member in NSW, ask your VET to obtain the vaccine through Derek Major, at Agnes Banks Equine Clinic 0245885200.

If you are not an EFA member, ask your vet to recommend a vet who can give vaccination and tell them to obtain vaccine through Derek Major, at Agnes Banks Equine Clinic 0245885200.

Non EFA members contact the DPI give them your contact details and the number of horse you need vaccinated.

The AHIC have a survey on their site www.horsecouncil.org.au which will enable registration for vaccination. You can contact Dr Rod Hoare (Industry Liaison) at Orange on 63 913743 or industry@dpi.nsw.gov.au

You can contact the State Chief Veterinarian Office, Dr.Bruce Christie at DPI Orange on bruce.christie@dpi.nsw.gov.au

IMPORTANT POINTS TO KNOW

Whether you get the vaccination through the DPI or the EFA you will find
There is a priority list in place, so when you order your vaccinations you should state:
If the horse has EFA Performance Cards
If the horse is a breeding stallion or mare
If it is other than the above

WHY IS THERE A PRIORITY LIST?

Because when it was decided that vaccinations would take place within the Red and Purple Zones the DPI stipulated that their priority was for vaccinations to take place in the Buffer Zones first (disease control). The EFA was asked to give a list of our performance horses in the Red and Purple zones because these horses were considered next in line of priority. The EFA issued a list of horses with Performance Cards in order that we could get in ‘our bid’ for a number of vaccine doses. We were allocated 3,000. When vets visited some properties there were other horses on the property which clearly needed vaccinating at the same time, so the EFA vets worked out a deal with DPI which means that EFA vaccine stocks are topped up by DPI when horses are vaccinated on the same property but are not EFA registered horses. DPI is also working through accredited vets to vaccinate horses asap in the Red and Purple Zones. The ‘live’ canary pox vaccine requires particular handling and protocols, therefore vets need to be familiar with those protocols and accredited to use the vaccine.

DO I HAVE TO BE PATIENT?

Unfortunately the distribution system for the vaccine is limited by the quantity available and the accreditation of vets to use it. The requirements for accreditation have been made much simpler in the last week DPI requirements previously, required face to face accreditation, this is no longer the case. Derek Major for Agnes Banks Equine Clinic, has put in hours of voluntary service to our industry since the beginning of the outbreak of EI.

His practice has taken on the responsibility of the delivery of the vaccine to other vets as well as the arduous job of mass vaccination for our members. Please understand that he does not have a massive call centre and lots of staff to organize instant vaccination.

If the racing industry is successful in persuading the government that racehorses should be vaccinated Australia wide then clearly the situation will change because Australia will have to accept that EI isendemic. Vaccination strategy will then have to be agreed on a national basis.

We hope this is useful in assisting our members and those of the wider horse community to understand the background to the present problems. The EFA is dedicated to the service of our members and to assisting the horse industry generally. We have a small and absolutely motivated staff, but, we are not able, to be all things to all people. We hope you will understand that our resources are fully extended at this very demanding time.