Tense Weekend in New Zealand as US Horse Imports (Falsely) Test Positive for Disease in Quarantine

Ever wonder what it would be like to see the international horse world instantly freeze in its own hoofprints? Is there anything that is more of a threat to the upcoming equestrian sports of the Beijing Olympics than the worldwide protests against human rights violations in China and the political situation in Tibet?

The answer is "yes" and it almost happened last weekend.

I held my breath before reporting on this story because it was THAT big news and I didn't want to start any panic or rumors.

Here's what happened: A group of horses traveling to New Zealand from the USA underwent routine disease testing on their arrival in Auckland last week. So far, this is normal.

If you have ever been to that wonderful tiny island nation as a human traveler, you know that they don't exactly welcome you with open arms. No, inspectors come on board your plane as soon as it lands and spray the whole thing down. Including you. Including the overhead bins. Including the plane itself. An island nation that depends on agriculture for its place on the world map can't afford to let a potentially dangerous virus, a fly, a caterpillar or anything else into their country. And you'd better not have any food in your luggage when you go through customs.

Somehow, New Zealand managed to dodge the Equine Influenza (EI) outbreak in eastern Australia last fall--an outbreak that shut down showing, rodeos, breeding and racing and cost the nation an estimated AUS$1 billion. The Kiwis protected themselves by slamming shut their doors and re-dedicating themselves to strict quarantine protocols. Lax quarantine procedures are being blamed for the leak of EI into the general horse population in Australia.

The American horses that landed last week must have sent the ag inspectors into orbit when their tests came back positive for EI. Of course, the horses had tested negative before leaving the USA. Give credit to the Kiwis' Biosecurity New Zealand agency, though, for deciding that a re-test was needed to confirm the results.

And the re-test showed that an error had occured and the samples had been contaminated by human error. The horses were not infected with EI, and their quarantine proceeded as usual.

Under import health standards, horses are required to undergo 21 days of quarantine before departure for New Zealand, including testing and vaccination, and a further 14 days in post-arrival quarantine in New Zealand, where they undergo further testing. Such stringent requirements are in place to ensure that horses entering New Zealand do not carry diseases like equine influenza.

But what if they had tested positive? An outbreak of disease in horses in Europe, the USA, or Australia/New Zealand could have a disastrous domino effect on international horse transport for racing, breeding and showing, and especially for the prospects of the Olympics coming up August.

Consider this: New Zealand is the only racing nation in the world that is free of EI.

Spin the globe and get another viewpoint: African Horse Sickness (AHS) killed more than 130 horses in South Africa this winter and is having a disastrous effect on horse exports there, as it has been for the past few years. Horses from South Africa ran away with two of the big races at the Dubai World Cup a few weeks ago, but breeders and trainers there would have a tough time selling horses anywhere right now.

Keep an eye on this blog. From now until the Olympics I will keep you posted on the world map of contagious horse diseases. It's a map that many health officials in Hong Kong are watching carefully.

Luckily, I live near Harvard University, where the International Society for Infectious Diseases runs its worldwide health monitoring system. I will be using their data reports, sifting through reports on diseases affecting monkeys and water buffalo and swans (not to mention humans) for news on horse disease outbreaks and other health issues that might threaten the Olympics. They provide a terrific service and I will pass on any news "as it happens".

At this point, I think that world politics are a much bigger threat to the Olympics than horse diseases. Please read the papers, listen to NPR, and scour good international news sources on the web (I recommend Reuters' News Agency excellent Olympics-specialty news channel) to take the pulse of world politics and sports politics. Tibet may not have an equestrian team but the plight of that beleagured nation can and will affect the horses that are out there schooling for selection trials to go to Hong Kong.

I am old enough to remember the ill-fated 1980 Olympics. At that time, the old US Equestrian Team's eventing training center was located down the road here on Boston's North Shore. How well I remember the heartbreak when the US team and coach Jack LeGoff were told that they would not be allowed to follow up their success at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, because the USA cancelled plans to participate in the Moscow Olympics for political reasons.

The Olympics are not just about sports. Please read the news with that in mind, and keep healthy horses on your wish list.

Equine Flu Disrupts Australian University Life, Students' Progress

It's spring at the University of Queensland, just a few weeks left until graduation. But students in the equine sciences and vet school will be getting first-hand experience with handling sick horses, as Equine Influenza seems to be affecting the first horses on campus.

It is expected that all of the 130 horses on campus will contract the disease and will be quarantined for up to seven weeks. This includes research horses; many Americans are aware that the University of Queensland is the home of the Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit, the world's leading research center for that disease.

As a result, the university has filed these plans for protocol:

• All work with horses will cease immediately, including classes, riding and research;

• All areas with horses will be placed in quarantine with only a limited number of people designated for the care and welfare of animals being allowed into this area;

• Vehicle and personnel decontamination protocols will be put in place;

• All horse areas will be cordoned off to restrict entry of unauthorised personnel. Only essential vehicles will be allowed into these areas.

Students will be required to make up time lost from horse-related classes in the next semester.

Retired Vets, Vet Students from Across Australia Respond to Epidemic

(from a New South Wales Department of Primary Industries press release)

A concerted effort has seen animal health professionals from across Australia arrive in New South Wales to help with the Equine Influenza (EI) epidemic there.

Animal health officers, stock inspectors and veterinary officers, many of them retired, have been brought in from (Austrlian states) Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, Northern Territory and the ACT.

They are involved at the control centers at Orange and Camden, and their knowledge of rural areas is vital in making proposals a reality on the ground.

Many of these animal health professionals are in private practice and have been sourced from the Australian Veterinary Reserve, which involves non-government vets who are trained in national emergency animal disease preparedness.

Their roles vary from veterinary investigations to working in the field with the vaccination program.

Vet students are also working at the centers; the project is giving them valuable training experience.

Australian EI Crisis: Under Control or Out of Control?

Who can you believe with all the conflicting reports from Australia? The official message to the world via government press releases is "all quiet on the Aussie front, situation under control" while other reports would label it "SNAFU!"

The Courier Mail newspaper reports that 3000 people protested in Ipswich yesterday against the handling of the crisis:

"Dr David Lovell, director of Redlands Veterinary Surgery, commented at a 3000-strong protest rally in Ipswich against the DPI’s handling of the outbreak. 'The update last night was that equine flu was under control and that vaccination was proceeding very well,' he said. 'One of the things that comes to my mind is when America invaded Iraq and Saddam’s man was appearing daily on local television telling the people of Iraq that they were winning the war. My personal view is that this disease is getting out of control'."

(Note: Dr Lovell is former president of the Australian Equine Veterinary Association and a director of the Australian Veterinary Association.)

A batch of 4800 doses of vaccine destined for the northern state of Queensland was compromised when the temperature sensor indicated that it had become exposed to below-minimum temperatures, which is a problem with transporting live vaccine.

More from the Courier Mail:

"Dr Lovell said he did not believe there were only 628 infected properties in Queensland. He said he had spoken to many property owners with infected horses who had not been officially confirmed by the DPI.

'They tell me that probably only one in every four properties is being recorded. That would suggest that we could have over 2500 infected properties,' he said.

(State) Premier Anna Bligh has written to (Australian Prime Minister) John Howard seeking 10,000 vaccines for the horse-breeding industry and another 4000 doses for the non-racing industry. Ms Bligh said the sector was 'at serious risk of widespread infection and economic collapse'."

Another grumble coming from Australia is that racehorse stables are receiving preferential treatment for vaccine and quarantine over pleasure horses, many of whom are competition horses.

In New South Wales, a government press release states: to date there are more than 32,000 horses infected on more than 3700 properties in NSW. NSW Department of Primary Industries initiated the first round in its buffer vaccination program (this) weekend."

Buffer zones, classified by color, have been identified around infected areas; preventive vaccination will be concentrated in these areas to prevent the spread of the disease to so-called "clean" green zones.

Early this morning, two horses tested positive to EI in one of NSW's green zones. That should change the map.

The "World" of Equine Infectious Diseases: Australian Quarantine Station Hit by Equine Influenza

Australian broodmares may be left waiting at the breeding shed this year. The breeding season in the Southern Hemisphere launches next week and many of the world's premier "shuttle" stallions will be kept in extended isolation at a quarantine station after an outbreak of equine flu.
The outbreak was reported today by the Australian racing news agency, Racenet.

A shuttle stallion is one that serves mares in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres; these stallions are breeding mares during the January-March season in the North and September to November in the South.

Thoroughbred racing and breeding is set up for foals to be born at a certain time of the year, as they all age one year on January 1 in the Northern Hemisphere, and July 1 in the Southern Hemisphere. Earlier foals would be larger foals at the time of yearling sales or more mature when they are ready to race, so breeders are always trying to get their mares bred as early as possible. A significant effort is also made to breed the mare back on the "foaling heat" instead of waiting for her to cycle normally.

Racenet is reporting that the stallions, many of whom are already booked for Australia's top mares, will be required to stay at the quarantine farm for another 30 days. Every time a new horse at the farm comes down with the flu, the release date is extended another 30 days.

Among the horses detained is the American champion Bernardini, winner of 2006 Travers Stakes at Saratoga, who is in his first year of breeding service.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the quarantine affects two groups of recently-landed Thoroughbreds, totalling about 80 top stallions from leading international stud farms.