A 5km exclusion zone has been placed around the Centennial Park Riding School, an area which takes in the Randwick Racecourse. Around 700 horses are stabled at Randwick.
It is believed that a staff member who looked after horses at the Eastern Creek (Sydney) AQIS facility, placed in lockdown on Friday, also had contact with the Centennial Park horses and may even have had contact with horses stabled at Randwick. The EI virus cannot be contracted by humans but is easily spread via hands and clothing. It is also believed that some of the Centennial Park Horses had traveled to and from shows in the days preceding the outbreak.
Security guards have been employed to ensure that none of the Randwick horses are moved from the facility. However, a number of horses have traveled from NSW to Queensland and Victoria in the days preceding the lockdown.
Minister For Agriculture Mr. Peter McGauran told Sky News, " "We've never had an introduction of influenza in the equine population of Australia ever before, and now eleven horses have provenly tested to influenza A, and if it was to escape beyond the stable of the horses in centennial park it would have a devastating effect on the horse population."
It was not yet known whether a vaccination was available, he said, adding a nationwide immunisation of horses could be considered.
Further precautions to prevent the rapidly spreading outbreak from reaching even further include:
- Seven country race meetings in Queensland have been cancelled.
- NSW racing has been shut down including the cancellation of race meetings; a ban on the movement of any horse – including domestic – in or around the state; cancellation of any shows or horse events in NSW.
- The VRC has cancelled all race meetings in Victoria.
- SA Racing has cancelled all race meetings in South Australia.
The EFA National Office has released the following statement:
EFA National Office, Saturday, 25 August 2007
Following the confirmation of Equine Influenza in horses stabled at Centennial Park in the centre of Sydney, the NSW Minister for Agriculture has cancelled all horse events and all horse movements in NSW. Seven hundred horses near Centennial Park have been quarantined.
We urge all horse owners and riders not to transport their horses and to avoid making contact with other horses. They should thoroughly wash after contact with their horses. They should also watch out for any symptoms of infection in their horses, like a raised temperature, nasal discharge and coughing, and if present, report this firstly to their vet and, particularly if groups of horses are involved, call the disease emergency hotline 1800 675 888.
All equestrian events in NSW are to be called off pending further information on the extent of the Equine Influenza outbreak.
Further updates will be published as they happen. Updates can be found by using the News & Reviews Search and searching for the keyword "EI".
For Further Information And Updates Please Visit These Sites:
Australian Horse Industry Council
DPI NSW
DPI QLD
DPI VIC
Horse SA
National Pests And Disease Outbreak
EFA National