Concern over suspected EI case in Ballarat

Hi Horse Deals staff,

I have just read the site and noted the above. I called DPI immediately to ask if the staff member could confirm the above. I have been told ‘there are no confirmed reports of EI in Victoria’ and it was explained to me that this is a prepared statement he was reading from.

I then went on to demand that DPI prepare an immediate press release confirming or denying as the case may be, this report. As if this would make any impression or cause some concern! I don’t think so. I just got the party line. The staff member added that they have had several calls in the last couple of days from people wanting to know the same thing. I have some concern related to this apparent increase in queries from horse owners to DPI. If I had an active imagination, I would assume that there is some basis for these reports only of course I cannot prove that.

There is most likely some justification in keeping any sick horse in Victoria quiet right now …………….. but if EI here and the public are not aware of it, given that this DPI staff member told me that DPI has NOT placed restrictions on horse movement in Victoria, this is tantamount to negligence.

I would like an answer to the question that your respondent raised and quickly please. Perhaps you could contact the person who posted the blog and ask where her information came from, and how reliable it is?

Regards,
Karen Harrison

Vacinating in Victoria

Racehorses are now being vaccinated in Victoria. Why?

Jenny Bray

TO THE MINISTER FOR ALLIGATOR CONTROL

Portnoy Obfuscate must be commended for his science?????????????????? applied to his portfolio concerning the ERADICATION OF THE ALLIGATOR. The general unknowledgeable public should NOW really understand the 'STAND' you have taken over this very important issue, and our congratulations are passed onto you in the form of a TRAVEL PASS TO THE CLOSEST RACE
STATION.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOOD LUCK,

SARAH ALLEN from (Thanks for protecting Victoria)

What is a "Dirty Red Zone" ?

Today I received notification that the permit to move my daughters pony home had been rejected. When I asked what the reason was that I couldn't bring him home which is a trip of around 15km, I was told "because you would be moving from a dirty red zone to a clean red zone". I (nicely) asked the girl from the DPI what is meant by a dirty red zone, as to my knowledge there are no IP's or suspected IP's in the area where our pony is currently paddocked. She replied " I dont know, I just work in the office on the phones". No wonder no-one knows what the hell is going on, the people we are told to deal with at the DPI dont even know what information they are dishing out to horse owners. It's time the DPI stopped pretending they know what they are doing.

I have seen horses being moved all over my district,even past my front door, presumably with permits, you would have to be stupid to risk it without one. Im assuming these were 'important racehorses' as they seem to be free to come and go as desired. Apparently an inspector from the DPI will phone me to explain the meaning of a dirty vs clean red zone. I wont hold my breath waiting .This gives a whole new meaning to the term frustration.

Narelle

Racehorse tested EI positive at Young races.

We have heard from someone in the town that they were holding internal races at Young, NSW( outside the EI infected zones) and that one of these horses has tested POSITIVE for EI. It was a horse from BARMEDMAN which was the town in the news just recently with positive horses!!!!!!!! This is absolutely LUDICROUS!!!!

HOW & WHY WAS A HORSE FROM AN INFECTED ZONE ALLOWED TO GO TO RACES AT YOUNG? Here are all the people doing nothing with their horses, people going broke, left right & centre because they earn a living through horses & here is theRACING INDUSTRY holding races, seemingly without a care in the world about anyone else! I'll bet they won't even get a fine!

I would also like to know why it is that we let horses into this country after only 2 WEEKS in quarantine here? and why is it that the yallow a dozen people not in proteced clothing ( including a film crew)to meet the horses off the plane & this happened to include the horseINFECTED WITH EI ! All you people with horses should be absolutely outraged at how our quarantine has been little more than just luck. I urge you all to read the transcripts of the government inquiry at www.equineinfluenzainquiry.gov.au and go to"Hearings".

Charley from Vic. I agree with you, I would rather go nowhere with my horses and try to keep them safe than risk them for a ribbon. But how long are we going to have to do this and will it be any use if racing goes ahead and spreads it around the country anyway? OK, they are vaccinating race horses but they can still carry the disease even ifthey are vaccinated, as did the supposedly vaccinated shuttle stallion that brought the dreaded disease into the country.

Diane

Advise on the best way to deal with EI

I think Charly from Victoria is in for a rude shock if he thinks Kevin Rudd’s political party would have handled this any different. They are all taking advise on the best way to deal with EI from the so called experts, and that is exactly what Kevin Rudd would be doing too. I bet he is thankful he doesn’t have to face the flack over this one. Qld government is part of Mr Rudd’s team and they took forever to offer a single cent to help out suffering Queenslanders. I hardly think EI should govern which way you vote politically. I believe if labour were in government at the moment the country wouldn’t have enough spare dollars to be able to fight EI anyway and we would be all paying 17% interest on our home loans like we all were when they were last running this country.
Jody.

SOME LIGHT RELIEF FROM EI

To add some light relief to the EI crisis, 3 Horse Deals' team members, Trish Bowman, Jaime Copping and Kirsty Koch from the production department are off for the adventure of a lifetime, the 'Hamish and Andy Caravan of Courage Tour'.
The girls thought it might provide our blog readers with a tiny escape from EI – and yes they will decontaminate before moving across the states......

"It's Day Two of the Hamish and Andy tour. The 3 of us left Mt Gambier SA at 8am on Tuesday and made our way to Donald in Victoria. As we approached Donald we were all getting very excited. When we arrived in Donald and the Hamish and Andy Caravan of Courage was pulling into the Donald caravan park at the same time – perfect timing. We checked in to the park at Donald and made our way over to Hamish and Andy to introduce ourselves. What a thrill, they were great to talk to and very normal. Really we don't know why we thought the wouldn't be normal.

We set up our tent while Hamish and Andy went out to explore Donald. It is not the biggest town in Victoria but they sure had some great people. Hamish and Andy challenged a couple of Older (mid 70's) Donald gentleman to a friendly game of bowls. The loser was to serve the winners a drink in their underwear. To Hamish and Andy's surprise they won, the next ten minutes they say was not a good sight. Great work boys.

After the radio show which was on from 4-6pm we all sat around a camp fire and and got to know everybody.

At the moment there are about 8 cars of people following Hamish and Andy on there quest to hug Australia with more people to join as the days go on. Our aim is to be in Brisbane on Sunday for the Rove Show which will be filmed live from the caravan park that we are staying at.

We are still thinking of you all at this hard time with the EI but we hope that our daily catch ups will give you something to smile about.

Till tomorrow.

Trish, Kirsty and Jaime, from the Viva of Valor on the Caravan of Courage Tour.

Vaccine about-face as containment fails

NEWS SOUTH WALES - In a welcome about face, the NSW Department of Primary Industries has given the green light for inactive vaccine usage beyond the so-called “buffer zones” in NSW as it becomes obvious that containment policies are failing. Vaccine for 44,000 horses will be made available today (Tuesday).

A case of Equine Influenza at Barmedman in Southern NSW illustrated the futility of “buffer zones” with movement of humans carrying EI believed to be the culprit in this case. With reports of EI at Wagga Wagga, it would seem to be only a matter of time before EI is discovered in Victoria.

“Securing this huge number of vaccines will enable us to conduct a broader vaccination program that will benefit all horse users in NSW and help us along the road to recovery,” said NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald, adding that his government had wanted the inactive vaccine on a mass distribution basis in the first place.

“We have more than 34,000 horses infected in NSW,” he said. “I cannot stress enough the need for people to abide by the movement restrictions pertinent to their areas.”

Leading NSW equine veterinarians including Tim Roberts have slammed government authorities for not implementing a buffer zone policy more swiftly so that such a policy of containment might have been effective.

In an open letter, Roberts said containment policies were too late to be effective.

He noted that by the time officials brought in “vet training and registration” to begin vaccinating a region, it was too late and most horses would have begun recovery.

“This is incompetence at its highest level and the science has been thrown out the window,” Roberts said, adding that buffer zones were, “at best, a very poor attempt at containment” that would do nothing to eradicate EI.

Roberts, whose views are backed by other veterinarians, said suggestions that the number of EI outbreaks was declining was “ludicrous” and the virus itself was at least three days ahead of symptoms developing.

He said the DPI had prevented horse owners from vaccinating their horses and wanted them to continue biosecurity practices although no relief from the crisis was being offered.

“If DPI have not yet vaccinated all the horses in these buffers than they have achieved nothing,” Roberts said.

“ Buffer zones need saturation vaccination to be effective … the DPI appears to be paralyzed by incompetence at the highest level.

“The strategy of the DPI has no prospects of working and every prospect of causing irreparable damage to the horse industry,” he said.

Veterinarian Nick Kannegeiter said mismanagement of the EI crisis was “like watching a train crash in slow motion”.

In Queensland, reports of ad hoc horse movement are numerous, while in the Upper Hunter of NSW there has been criticism of lack of monitoring of vehicles in and out of a region rife with EI.

The mass vaccination program was announced following a meeting on Monday (October 8) where Racing NSW CEO Peter V'Landys and Australian Racing Board chief executive Andrew Harding addressed Primary Industries ministers from each state and territory, the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Peter McGauran, and the director-generals of all state and federal Primary Industries departments on the need for a national mass vaccination strategy.

Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Bronwyn Farr

Read more.

Re-doggers & EI vaccinated horses... horse shows.

In reference to the previous message regarding the extra cost associated with not being able to send a vaccinated horse to the sales to become dog food,
- that is fine, maybe people will start to take more responsibility for over breeding.
-
This flu will sort a few out, just think of the souls that are being saved from not being created to be born to be slaughtered in a knackery, that’s the reality especially in the TB industry, which is so “cut throat” , I’ve worked in that industry, it’s just awful what I saw in such a short time…..mares that won’t go in foal, injured, not fast enough, bad confirmation…off to the saleyard then to the knackers…..convenience & that last $.
Great if you’re a race winner, but after that who knows, not many owners want them even after they’ve won heaps & are no longer any use.

I would vaccinate without hesitation, even if it made a prospective buyer lose interest, you’d know where their priorities lie.
To those whom will complain about the extra costs of home euthanasia & burial, well.. that’s easy, don’t have horses, huge unexpected vet bills etc. are all part of owning any animal, especially the horse.

-In reference to pet food, I buy lower grade mince from my local butcher and make up a healthy batch of food for my dogs, I don’t like feeding them horses, it’s cheaper & I know what’s in it.

ON THE CANCELLED EVENTS - who cares about shows, events etc??? .. I do between 15 & 25 shows each year, I’d rather go without a ribbon / trophy to have my horses safe & well, I’m lucky at this point being in Victoria not to be suffering the heartbreak that others are facing losing a mare, a foal an old faithful equine friend.
I’m not missing anything if there’s nothing to go to… I have horses prepared & ready to go out, but my show entries keep being returned.
Maybe there won’t be any shows until late next year, that could be the reality.
I’m saving bucket loads of petrol money, & getting heaps done around the farm this spring, which is unusual.
I can still spend time with my horses and enjoy the lifestyle owning them brings.

HOWEVER, I AM FURIOUS that that race sector is not locking down with us, just proves what a selfish industry it really is…!
we should be all in lockdown for 6 – 8 weeks with a no warnings $10,000 fine for any off property horse movements- with strictly no exceptions,
That’s what should have been done at the very beginning & we may be nearly back to normal without any horses dying & the precious SPRING RACING CARNIVAL may not be under so much pressure.

Get rid of this government they are hopeless; JOHN HOWARD your out of touch, one step too far behind, time is catching up with you.
this household votes as do our NON-HORSEY friends & relatives, so please remember word of mouth is the best form of advertising………………………..

We need a government whom will respond instantly to BIO threats, the terrorists must think Australia is a very soft target now…couldn’t even control a horse flu???
Charly – Victoria

You’ll Hear Us!

10th October.

Nerida Corbett speaking for the Parkes detainees commented; “You’ll certainly hear us as we drive out the gate. We are waiting on the permits to get out and we hope to have them by Sunday”. Nerida, from Peek Hill, just 50 kilometers away and her fellow detainees, including 23 horses, come from the Buffer and Green Zones and have been at Parkes Showgrounds now for over six weeks.

“It will be a bit scary to get back to real life, we have been here so long. We have made some very good friends who are almost like family now. The Parks Show Society has been wonderful to us too and they have really suffered. They were the only show that was not allowed to go ahead at all, even without horses. It was only the second time Parks Show was cancelled in over 100 years (the first time due to WW II). It has been a big loss to the town. Down the track we are planning an EI Ball and donate the money to the Show Society”.

Nerida will keep us posted with the Parkes release and also information about the rescheduling of Australian Saddle Pony competition.

The Alligator Problem (A Satire...)

The objective of all should be to analyse thoroughly all situations, anticipate all problems prior to their occurrence, have answers for these problems, and move swiftly to solve these problems when called upon...however...when you are up to your arse in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.
The country has been under siege from an outbreak of Alligators. Now we all need to follow the Alligator Eradication and/or Relocation in View of Excessive Terror Plan - AERVETPLAN. Copies of this can be found all over the place if you people just bother to have a look.

Recent media reports have suggested that spraying the alligators with Glen 20 or dipping shoes in baths of Dettol have been ineffective in warding off the alligators - this is incorrect, the alligators have spread because of PEOPLE LIKE YOU who are the WEAK LINK and who don’t believe in what you are being told. Those of you who claim that the alligators are simply walking or swimming from one property to the next, and there’s nothing able to stop them, you have no proper grasp of the way these alligators actually spread. Those that claim there are people unconnected with the swamp industry, wandering round unaware they are unwittingly spreading these alligators, it is your job to inform them - tackle them to the ground if necessary, and dip them in antiseptic before they do more damage! We WILL get on top of these alligators - we just haven’t given it enough time and effort. And if you don’t jack up your ideas and try harder, you will be fined $30,000.

Another problem is the perception that an actual increase in the number of alligators has been seen by the uninformed to indicate that the AERVETPLAN is not working - this is rubbish, the alligators have only colonised the swamp, which is where we expected them to go all along. For those who have pointed out that they have gone beyond the projected boundaries - this is rubbish, we were just not aware of quite how far how far the swamp extended. This strain of alligator rarely eats people anyway, if they get you, there is very chance you'll get over it so don't panic.

It is also obvious to anyone who bothers to think about it, that an actual INCREASE in the number of alligators is a CLEAR INDICATION that the strategy is working and that it merely heralds a DRAMATIC FALL in the number of AIPs (Alligator Infested Properties) that is about to occur, any minute now - honestly, I don’t know how simple I have to make it for you people!

The uninformed have been asking all along for Alligator Guns to shoot the alligators - we don‘t agree with this strategy, because if the landscape is littered with dead alligators, we will have problems working out where the live ones are. There is always the risk that one of the “dead” alligators might be not quite dead and it could go off and breed. I know Alligator Guns were used overseas, but this was a short-sighted attempt that does not guarantee that the alligators might not come back some time in the future, and you would have to buy bullets constantly and no-one wants that expense, particularly not the government! It is true that we have distributed some Alligator Guns, but only to the Swamp Racing Authority, they have to go ahead with their business of what sort of state would we be in? We need the Swamp Racing Carnival revenue or we will have to levy Alligator Management Fees from the rest of you. And you can’t have any Alligator Guns, you’re so surrounded by them they’re about to get you anyway and it would be a waste of resources, I’d be surprised if you could even aim straight, so don’t bother asking. If we have any left over, we'll think about giving them out later, so stop complaining that you are "sitting ducks"!

Those people who have been stalwart in keeping alligators off their properties in the Red Zones - well done! As a reward for your diligence, you will receive absolutely no assistance - but please inform us as soon as the alligators actually get you, it is important for our statistics.

To the people in the South who have been concerned about reports of alleged alligator sightings - we can assure you that no alligators are permitted to travel across the border, which as you know consists of an unfenced, unpatrolled section of country, one or two of the many highways into which may or may not be manned by a guy who occasionally pulls up cattle trucks. They’d spot an alligator a mile off! And don’t expect the police to waste their time, they are busy catching criminals! It may be that there have been sightings of the odd lizard down there but certainly no alligators, if you were experts you would immediately spot the difference.

I would like to assure everyone once again that every effort is being made to eradicate the alligators, we have done a survey and the overwhelming response was that everyone wanted to turn back time, to the Pre-Alligator Era. We are confident that this can be achieved, as evidenced by the predicted meteoric increase in the number of AIPs and the apparently exponential number of alligators out there. We knew this would happen, so we are still in control of the situation.

Assistance is available to anyone who applies, as long as they are in possession of an ABN - yes, I can hear all the hobbyists squealing, but if you were paying taxes for your swamp recreational activities you would be entitled to handouts. If you don’t like the situation, go and get another sort of job until the alligator crisis passes. There are some jobs with the Alligator Management Authority coming up, put your name down and we will eventually let the agencies know what sort of workers are needed, bit too busy now but we will definitely get around to it soon.

In the meantime, keep up those disinfection protocols and remember, as soon as the temperature gets to 37 degrees, the alligators will probably stop breeding! And furthermore, we expect that as soon as they run out of swamp, the problem will burn itself out!

Anyway, better go, I have a meeting in half an hour with the Director of Swamp Racing about retaining a stockpile of Alligator Guns for the big carnival - as long as we get through that, I am sure everything will sort itself out….

Portnoy Obfuscate
Minister For Alligator Control

EI VACC IN ACT

I live in Canberra with my two dressage/show horses.

We are a Green Zone, but EI has made it to Temora (also a green zone, an hour and a half away).

Yesterday on the radio I heard that they were going to vaccinate 700 ACT horses.
I contacted DPI, who registered my interest in vaccinating my horses, but told me that only racehorses would be done. Some performance horses may be lucky if there was any vaccine left over, but of course there was not enough vaccine to do every horse in ACT.

I sent off an email to Territory and Municipal Services, and got a phone call first thing this morning from kerrin.styles@act.gov.au
He informed me that the only reason racehorses were being vaccinated was because the Racing Industry was the only Industry they had heard from.
He told me that it was not DPI or the Government that decided which horses would be vaccinated, but the Industry.
So, according to him, if Performance Horses were represented by EFA or similar, then they could request all their registered performance horses be vaccinated.
Apparently ACT at least has not heard from EFA or any other horse industry, except the Racing Industry. And this fellow didn't seem to know what the EFA was anyway.

Sadly, I guess the much loved family pony doesn't have much chance of being represented by any organisation. Unless Pony Club counts.

Like every one else, I guess I am just dreading the possibility of seeing my beautiful horses get sick, and worry that there may be serious complications from EI. I do however find it reassuring to read so many letters from horse owners out there who's horses have already recovered from EI, without too much of a fuss. Let's hope we are that lucky when or if EI hits ACT.

Concerned Canberra Horse Owner,
Ange

Taree Race Horses to get Vaccine

I have heard that today race horses in Taree are to be given the vaccine. Interesting as we are an Amber zone and not included in the buffer. Than if you read the DPI site there is a shortage of vets for the buffer zone vaccination. Of course there is they are doing the race horses instead.

Ei information -another horse dies

Equine Influenze has claimed yet another horse's life. Yesterday, Oct. 9th., De-Sharvarll Arabians of Leichhardt Qld. had to have one of their most precious senior broodmares euthanized due to complications from E.I. infection. This has left her 6 day old foal orphaned and now fighting for survival with carers as well.

In spite of precautions all the horses at the Stud are infected with E.I. as are over 100 other horse owners and breeders in the Ipswich City area. We are told the flu virus is not lethal and that may well be, but to pregnant and/or foaling mares the complications from the severe wracking cough can cause intestinal and uterine torsion which is fatal. This mare was of pure Polish bloodlines and is irreplaceable for the Stud. Her loss is immeasurable in both emotional and economic costs. The foaling and breeding season at the Stud is compromised as stallions cannot be used, foals are at risk as are other senior horses no matter how healthy or in good condition they are. Official bodies dealing with this epidemic and the public need to be made cognizant of the fact that the biggest percentage of Australia's multi-billion $ Equine Industry is not the Racing sector. There are thousands of breeders and owners of horses other than Racing Thoroughbreds and we need equal recognition and reporting in this disaster that has been inflicted upon us.

Thank you.

Michael R. Semchison
M.Ed.St., Gr.Cert.Ed.[HE]
Equine Consultant
International Judge
DS Arabians

Influenza: Vaccine Storage Problem Creates Need for Additional Batch

by: The Horse Staff
October 08 2007, Article # 10557

Queensland Government officials put in an urgent request for an additional batch of equine influenza vaccine when a problem was discovered with a shipment of 4,800 vials that arrived from Sydney by private contractor on Saturday morning. The new batch of vaccine was distributed Oct. 6 and further supplies will arrive this week, according to the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.
One of two temperature sensors indicated the original shipment had been exposed to temperatures below the recommended storage temperature. The drop in temperature could reduce or even nullify the effectiveness of the vaccine.

While Glanville said it was possible that the batch's temperature sensor had malfunctioned, he said the department was not prepared to distribute a vaccine in which they did not have complete confidence.
As of today there are 799 infected properties in Queensland.
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=10557&nID=6

(Note: You would hope they would be able to test it for effectiveness and perhaps use it on Red zone horses etc, rather than throw it away...)

(Forwarded by K Morgan)

EI outbreak leaves Melbourne Cup hopeful stranded

Australia's racing industry is awash with hard luck stories at the moment as it struggles to deal with the devastating effects of the equine flu virus.

But the tale of Melbourne Cup hopeful Leica Falcon - placed fourth last year - and a horse that would have been one of the favourites, and his connections must rate as one of the unluckiest. Stabled at Corowa in the NSW Riverina region, the horse is one kilometre from the Victorian border yet that's enough to have it banned from crossing the River Murray to race in Melbourne.

Follow this link for the written and audio interview.

Race horses in nth NSW get vaccine

On tonights Prime (ch 7) news we are told that all racehorses in the Northern Rivers area will be vaccinated over the next few weeks. They are doing it again. Race horses in the Amber Zone are being given preferencial treatment and blow the rest of us! I thought that vaccination was for horses in the buffer areas only so WHY ARE RACEHORSES IN THE AMBER AREA NOT BUFFER AREA BEING VACCINATED? I am so angry that I phoned the ABC, they didn't want to know, The Min for AG's office didn't want to talk about it and I'm so angry that the media isn't interested in what is going on. Funny who's involved in racing isn't it?
Penny.

Queensland vaccination response, a one-sided affair.

Today I received confirmation the buffer zone plan within Queensland is indeed a secondary issue to the requests and requirements of the racing industry .

Vaccination Program
Vaccine received by DPI&F has been as follows;
Date Rec Batch Qty Received Status Despatched Remaining
28/09/2007 L222086 7940 Released 7940 0
28/09/2007 L223025 4800 Quarantined 0 4800
06/10/2007 L223025 6000 Released 4760 1240

Usage of vaccine is:
Buffer 2106
Harness 3700
Racing 6680
Other 214

So out of the 12700 vaccines distributed only 2106 have been allocated to the buffer zone. This is 16% is the part of the plan that is supposedly going the halt the spread of the disease. How many of the 10380 vaccines used in the racing industry have effectively been wasted by vaccinating horses which had a very high chance of being infected prior to their full immunity. The continued practice of thoroughbred mare breeding movement in the red zone within 30km of infected properties near Beaudesert and the subsequent accelerated infection of large thoroughbred populations many of which had been vaccinated the week before is a waste of the precious vaccine. Now the infection is in the Toowoomba thoroughbred racing precinct and the powers that be are still intending to vaccinate the rest of the racehorses in the precinct despite the inevitable infection of the remainder prior to their immunity developing. More vaccine wasted. If the buffer zone is not being given even a proper go at being a success then it is doomed to fail before it starts. Has anyone actually counted the horses in the buffer zone? 2106 doses for the 1st round does not sound like many horses for a buffer zone. Oh that’s right, the buffer includes natural features mountains etc. That helped stop the Toowoomba racing precinct infection coming up the range 40 km from Laidley/Marburg. Or did it come for Warwick (80km) or Pittsworth (40km) or more likely Hendra (110km)?. How wide is the buffer? 10km.
The idea that a 10km wide buffer will stop the virus is very unlikely given the distances new infections are popping up within the red zone let alone the infections outside red zones (southern NSW). The Queensland DPI gave up confirming infection and testing horses close to infected properties long ago. No one knows which horses are infected, recovered (now immune temporally) or yet to be infected. Add in populations for highly mobile vaccinated horsed within and outside the red zone (racehorses will be running again as soon as they are fit and immune), how will the virus be monitored within these populations? Vaccinated bloodstock in quarantine were the initial source of infection and now effectively every racetrack in the eastern seaboard is a semi- immune incubator for the maintenance and distribution of the virus. We have seen repeatedly the racing industry is no better than any one else at biosecurity for this highly contagous virus.

Has the DPI got an exit plan to end the lockdown? How can the virus be found to be "Burnt out" when the virus is disseminated over such a wide area and many horses are exhibiting mild disease symptoms. As a veterinarian and horse owner I cannot see an end to this apocalypse other than acceptance of endemic infection and the legislation of the commercial release and use of vaccination for anyone who wants to protect their horses. I am happy to be proven wrong by the successful eradication of EI with the next 4-5 months but do not want to be still in lockdown in 12 months time with a red zone from Cairns to the Nullarbor with "EI still confined to the red zone and eradication still the prime objective", waiting to see who is running in the 2008 Melbourne Cup.
Glenn