MORE than 150,000 doses of the lifesaving Hendra virus horse vaccine Equivac HeV have now been administered nationwide.
Just days away from the first anniversary of the development of the vaccine, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry John McVeigh travelled to Wattle Creek Equestrian Centre in South East Queensland to acknowledge the achievement.
"I have seen first-hand how Hendra has created difficult working conditions for my colleagues and greater uptake of this vaccine will not only make their working lives easier, but it will also help protect them and their staff from a potentially fatal Hendra infection," Mr McVeigh said.
"Zoetis have been very proactive in providing education and awareness about the vaccine and I commend the veterinary community and Queensland horse owners who have made the decision to have their horses vaccinated.
"However horse owners shouldn't become complacent, even after vaccination. The Queensland Government still recommends the use of good personal hygiene and biosecurity measures when working with horses, regardless of their vaccination status.
"Horse owners should discuss vaccination with their veterinarian, and familiarise themselves with other measures to reduce the risk of Hendra virus infection," Mr McVeigh said.
Owner of Wattle Creek Equestrian Centre, Wendy Cramps said it was an easy decision to vaccinate her 11 horses.
"It can take two or three years to train a horse to be ready for the school and if we can prevent losing our animals then that's what we need to do," Ms Cramps said.
"We still need to be vigilant and educate people on the importance of vaccinating - 30 percent of our local bat population carry the virus so it's still a very real threat."
Developers of the vaccine, CSIRO and Zoetis, understand that this landmark could not have been reached without the support of veterinarians and the equine community.
"The veterinary and equine industries have been critical to this encouraging spike in vaccination numbers," Zoetis representative Dr Stephanie Armstrong said.
"Veterinarians and leaders in the equine community have gone to great lengths to ensure that the public understand the role of the vaccine and the devastating impacts of a Hendra infection.
"These individuals and groups have rallied public support through evening education sessions, vaccination events, local marketing campaigns and one-on-one consultations; efforts that have contributed to the safety of their colleagues and community," Dr Armstrong said.
Horse owners are encouraged to download an information pack from the Biosecurity Queensland website at www.biosecurity.qld.gov.au
