Equine Influenza (EI) has now been circulating in NSW and QLD for more than 3 months. Up to the end of November, the AHIC office in Geelong has sent out 689,586 messages via the Horse Emergency Contact Database to horse industry participants, answered more than 20,000 individual emails, and handled hundreds of telephone calls. AHIC Directors have participated in many community meetings related to EI, 33 CCEAD teleconferences and meetings, 18 NMG teleconferences and meetings, consulted frequently with national horse organisations, and been active participants in various committees related to the EI emergency. These activities will continue into the coming months.

This seems to be an appropriate time for some reflection on the impacts of the emergency and the significant achievements of the containment and eradication program over that time:

1. 1. EI infection was recognised promptly in the general horse population and contained to a relatively small part of Australia. Movement restrictions have been critical to the success of containment.
2. 2. The causative organism has been isolated and characterised, and is being compared with other EI virus strains from around the globe. This will help determine the origin of the virus.
3. 3. An effective vaccine has been sourced and deployed for strategic vaccination purposes. Thousands of horses have been vaccinated.
4. 4. In NSW and QLD, thousands of horses have been infected and have recovered from the clinical disease.
5. 5. There has been disruption of the national horse industry – no sector has escaped the flow-on effects of EI.
6. 6. All businesses related to horses have been affected, and many have suffered significant economic losses.
7. 7. Federal and State governments have recognised the economic impacts and provided financial assistance packages to help mitigate personal and business hardship. There will need to be an expansion of these packages into the future to assist the horse industry to recover.
8. 8. There has been widespread disruption of planned horse events in all jurisdictions.
9. 9. Zoning in NSW and QLD has been instrumental in implementing differential strategies to allow at least some of the horse industry in those jurisdictions to function.
10. 10. The EI emergency started to come under control towards the end of September. During October and November there has been a gradual reduction in the incidence of new infections to a stage where the emergency appears to be dying out. Continued vigilance is essential.
11. 11. There has been a reduction in the more restricted zones in both NSW and QLD so that a larger part of the horse industry can begin a return to some degree of normality.
12. 12. Participants in the Australian horse industry have had to come to grips with the concepts of biosecurity and quarantine to help prevent spread of the infection.
13. 13. Many millions of dollars have been spent in the containment and eradication efforts. Literally hundreds of people have been mobilised to participate across Australia. Even in the non-infected jurisdictions there has been a significant effort to ensure the EI has not spread outside the containment areas.
14. 14. There has been a consistent message throughout the epizootic from much the horse industry – they are prepared to undergo significant personal sacrifice in the interests of the national horse industry to eradicate EI from Australia. It is very clear that an endemic situation with EI is unacceptable.
15. 15. Much planning is underway to set in place mechanisms for a return to more normal horse industry activities in the first half of 2008. It is critical that these plans are robust and do not undermine the significant achievements of the past 3 months.
16. 16. The next few months are of paramount importance as the eradication efforts continue. The holiday season is of particular concern because of the increased people and vehicle movements associated with the Christmas break.
17. 17. Eradication is eminently achievable with continued due diligence and adherence to the basic principles of biosecurity and quarantine throughout the horse industry.

Biosecurity and quarantine will continue be essential in the eradication effort and for the period necessary to prove that EI is no longer circulating in Australia’s horses.

The term “biosecurity” is a recent addition to our language. While the underlying principles of decontamination, washing, cleansing and use of antimicrobial and virucidal chemicals have been around for about 150 years, the overarching term of biosecurity has not. It is not found in dictionaries from about 20 years ago.

Biosecurity is something that can be practised within the realms of our normal daily routines. It does not involve any disruption to normal horse industry activities, just an appreciation that to prevent spread of disease we need to be careful about personal hygiene and cleanliness. This also extends to the various implements and gear that we use in the horse industry.

Quarantine on the other hand is a somewhat different matter. By its very nature, quarantine is disruptive to how things are done. And to many people quarantine is a very good idea, so long as somebody else is doing it!!

Unlike “biosecurity”, the term quarantine has been around for a very long time and quarantine protocols have been instrumental in Australia being free from (or being able to eliminate) many of the world’s infectious diseases of animals.

Dictionaries define quarantine as ”…..to detain or isolate on account of suspected contagion……..restrictions placed on the entrance to and exit from the place or premises where a case of communicable disease exists…………”

and

“……..the enforced isolation of any person, house, town or district because of the presence of a contagious disease………………..on account of real or supposed infection………”

So by definition quarantine imposes disruptions to the normal course of events. Quarantine procedures are necessary to exclude infectious agents from a susceptible population, whether that is animals or people.

In the current EI emergency there has been clear recognition that biosecurity is something that everybody can do on a routine basis and there has been little resistance within the horse industry. Quarantine has been a different matter. Movement restrictions and isolation so vitally necessary for containment and eradication of EI continue to place significant strain on much of the horse industry in NSW and QLD.

It is essential that quarantine measures be imposed to prevent spread of disease within NSW and QLD, or to the non-infected jurisdictions. There has been resistance in some parts of the horse industry to the duration of quarantine necessary to enable monitoring and recognition of diseased horses. It is essential that the quarantine period is of sufficient duration to allow a horse incubating the disease to show clinical signs, and to allow laboratory testing of samples from horses isolated in quarantine. Furthermore, it is essential for there to be a period of quarantine before a horse moves from an infected zone to an area where disease is known not to be present, and another period of quarantine upon arrival at the destination to ensure that no disease has developed before release into the general population.

Periods of quarantine are by their very nature prescriptive, disruptive, difficult, expensive, time consuming, and frustrating. Nevertheless they are an essential part of the eradication program and they are achievable with a little effort and attention to detail.

In conclusion, the EI emergency looks like it is coming more under control by the day. Due to the efforts and sacrifices of a large number of Australians in the horse industry and governments the containment and eradication efforts are achieving their stated aims. With continued co-operation in biosecurity and quarantine EI should be eradicated from Australia some time in the first half of 2008. In the mean time the industry can start to make plans for a resumption of normal activities over the next few months. It is essential that the entire horse industry remains supportive of those unfortunate enough to have been caught up in the midst of the emergency response. We must also be thankful that it was “only EI” and not some much more serious exotic disease.