Qld Breeders Call For Annual EI Vaccination

Thoroughbred Breeders Queensland president Bob Frappell called for "decisions to be made now on the subject of vaccination post-EI" & declared: "We are firmly of the view the Canary Pox-based GM Vaccine should be the only vaccine approved for use in Australia. GMV has been successful in the fight for eradication in Queensland from the moment it was used & we see no reason to chance other types of vaccine. It is important the high concentrations & highly mobile horses are subject to annual vaccination to protect the economic viability of these sectors (racing & high performance)." Frappell added annual vaccination of these sectors "would also protect the wider pleasure sectors (approx 70%) where vaccination should be voluntary", noting: "The UK & Europe adopted such a model in 1981. There have been outbreaks of the disease since that time, notably in 2003, but the level of protection from vaccination has dramatically reduced its impact. The most significant reason tabled in the UK's Animal Health Trust research papers is that the vaccination policy covers the most mobile component of the horse population: racing & competition. Adoption of this model will give certainty to crucial sectors of the equine industry at a very small expense compared with the cost of the epidemic we have had to bear so far."