Incursion Investigators Support Australian Equine Influenza Response
The epidemiology group, Local
Disease Control Centre (LDCC),
Department of Primary Industries
Incursion Investigators from MAF Biosecurity New Zealand's (MAFBNZ's) Investigation and Diagnostic Centre at Wallaceville were recently seconded to help with the equine influenza (EI) response in Australia.
Over the last few months, five veterinary epidemiologists from the incursion investigation team joined the Australian response. Caleb King, Andrew McFadden and Thomas Rawdon initially joined the epidemiology and planning group, at Toowoomba and then Brisbane, to support the Queensland response effort. Matthew Stone and Paul Bingham later assisted the New South Wales response as part of the equivalent group based at Orange.
The New Zealand team members made much-appreciated contributions to the Australian response effort, and at the same time gained valuable experience in fighting EI should it ever arrive in New Zealand. Operational projects completed by the team included:
- investigating the effect of horse density on disease spread
- epidemiological investigation of outlier properties and properties where infection pathways were unknown
- assessing disease spread by feed supplies, vehicles, people and wind
- developing and implementing future disease surveillance and horse movement control strategies
- investigating the potential spread of disease by vaccination teams
- a risk analysis on horse movements from infected to free zones
- development of systems to manage and report adverse reactions to EI vaccines
- specifying the evidence required and reviewing specific cases for progression of disease control zones towards freedom
- determining the accuracy of tests used in the diagnosis of EI including identifying spatial patterns of false positive test reactors.
New Zealand now remains the only major horse breeding country free of EI. MAFBNZ continues to work with New Zealand's horse industries to maintain our freedom while preparing for a possible incursion. The tracing of imported Australian horses in August 2007 at the start of the Australian outbreak (McFadden et al, Surveillance, 34[4]) highlighted the risks arising from close association between the Australian and New Zealand horse industries.
The experience gained by the New Zealand response team has helped with New Zealand's own EI preparedness planning. MAFBNZ is in the process of assimilating experiences to learn from the Australian response. In December, the Wallaceville team delivered a series of nationwide training seminars to raise awareness of the Australian response and provide training in farm biosecurity measures. These seminars recognised that equine veterinarians will be at the frontline of early detection and response, and their actions and those of grooms, jockeys, farriers and owners will have a large bearing on spread prior to official detection if the disease does arrive here.
The 2008 New Zealand Veterinary Association conference (to be held in Wellington during June) will also have specific sessions.
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Page last updated: 30 April 2008