There are currently 1534 infected properties in Queensland. The infected cluster areas have expanded at a slightly slower rate than previously reported.
Over the last week there have been an increased on average of approximately 50 new infected premises (IPs) per day. This trend of a slowing of the infection rate has been experienced during the last week, however it could be an aberation due to under-reporting. All new cases of sick horses should be still be reported to the DPI&F on 13 25 23 or your local vet.
DPI&F is cautiously optimistic that this trend will continue and the slowing is due to the virus running its course in many of the higher density infected horse clusters. More sunlight in summer may also be helping slow the disease spread.
Vaccination, as part of DPI&F program of containment and eradication is continuing and has expanded with the availability of more vaccine to include strategic inner buffer zones (see below).
More horses near the Sunshine Coast will be vaccinated to establish an inner buffer zone to help further contain equine influenza in South East Queensland.
Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Ron Glanville said the new inner buffer zone was part of a strategic plan to 'back-burn', as you would with a bushfire, to stop any further spread of horse flu.
"Like the outer buffer, we are using natural features like forests, national parks and mountain ranges to mark the boundaries of the inner buffer," he said.
The Southern Sunshine Coast inner buffer will run north-west from Wild Horse Mountain forestry tower.
Further inner buffer zones are planned that run from Inglewood in the west, through Crows Nest and Esk districts and link to the Sunshine coast inner buffer.
This will effectively split the red zone in two containing the disease in the south east corner of the Red Zone.
Dr Glanville said veterinary teams would vaccinate all horses within a 10km wide strip to reduce the chance of infection through the areas with low horse populations.
Report from horse industry liaison officers (ILOs)
As the new Horse Industry Liaison Officers (ILOs),we have certainly had a steep learning curve getting our heads around the technical issues associated with equine influenza disease control, the pros and cons of vaccination and ensuring that many policy issues being decided are practical and in the long-term best interests for all horse owners. We are astounded by the level of effort that is going from DPI&F staff and many other people from other agencies in Queensland and other States. There are even a few helpers from overseas that have joined the eradication team.
We have tried to help forge the government and industry partnership that is critically needed to eradicate equine influenza in Queensland and Australia.
We welcome questions from horse owners about issues relating to equine influenza by emailing
Alternatively you can call 132523 and leave your contact details and questions and we will do our best to get back to you by email or phone.
It is vitally important that all horse owners continue with very high levels of Biosecurity and decontamination. Please download the fence sign from the DPI&F website and complete it and erect it on all gates and fences on horse properties to reduce movement of people and reduce the spread of the disease. You can also download the temperature monitoring chart from the DPI&F website.
Vaccination is not the magic bullet to fix the EI problem, but rather just one part of a number of combined strategies which complement each other. Allowing the disease to burn out, with the strategic use of vaccination in buffer zones to reduce the chance of spread is what is needed. Vaccination is ineffective on its own without also having movement restrictions, good biosecurity and decontamination. If we as horse owners can do this, by effectively keeping all horses and people in a bubble for four weeks - the disease will burn itself out. We all need to do this now! Pass this message on to all your friends with horses.
We can beat this disease if we all do the right thing now. While EI is inconvenient and expensive for us all, some short-term pain now for long-term gain is the only way we will win this fight. The short-term pain is sure better than the $300/horse per year annual vaccination and vet costs, as well as the costs associated with the cancellation of events which is what will happen if we let EI become widespread and endemic.
David Finch, Jane Myers, Nicole Magoffin, Karen Herald (Horse Industry Liaison Officers)
Horse owners or business that are adversely affected by the equine influenza outbreak are encouraged to find out about assistance packages from the Queensland Government and from Centrelink. Queensland Government financial assistance options are available from the DPI&F website or the One Stop Shops or DPI&F Community Resource Centres. The Centrelink website also has a video clip that provides a summary of the assistance packages available for people affected by Equine Influenza.
Communications on equine influenza
As part of the response to the equine influenza (EI) outbreak, Biosecurity Queensland in the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries has undertaken a major communication and education program to help horse owners and carers work with us to protect their horses and to protect Queensland from the potential impacts of EI.
The program to date has involved more than half a million dollars worth of newspaper advertising, dozens of media releases and media interviews, an e-newsletter with 38,000 subscribers, a website which is updated daily, countless community service announcements on ABC and commercial radio, roadside signage and public meetings. We also have six Community Resource Centres established in areas affected by EI where local residents can talk to staff about issues related to EI.
But the feedback from many people at the meetings and in their contacts with our call centre have indicated they wanted more detail and many wanted information in hard copy - not electronically.
In response, the community engagement section of our biosecurity team prepared and distributed 235,000 packages of information to all households near infected premises across the Brisbane Valley from Gatton to Ipswich, Esk to Boonah, through Logan, Tamborine, Beaudesert, Warwick, Clifton, Millmerran, the Western suburbs of Brisbane as well as Belmont, Capalaba, Thornlands and Gumdale.
While every care has been taken in preparing this eNewsletter, the State of Queensland accepts no responsibility for decisions or actions taken as a result of any data, information, statement or advice, expressed or implied, contained in this eNewsletter.
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