Veterinarians in Australia are rallying around the call for vaccinations of all horses against the Hendra virus. According to reports, many horse owners think that the vaccine available is just a trial vaccine or that the Hendra virus is a localized condition and won't affect their horses, but veterinarians are pushing back against those ideas and holding vaccination clinics to get the word out.
Clinics educating horse owners about vaccinations for deadly Hendra virus
Veterinarians in Australia are rallying around the call for vaccinations for all horses against the life-threatening Hendra virus.
This past weekend, Doug Edington, DVM, a Tamworth veterinarian vaccinated 75 horses at a clinic. Miniatures, ponies, campdrafter horses and pleasure horses were among those receiving the Hendra vaccine. In fact, Dr Edington has vaccinated over 200 horses in the past month including his own 12 horses.
According to Dr. Edington, the vaccine is not yet mandatory for most competitors, but it will be only a matter of time before the vaccinations receive widespread support from competitive groups.
The Equestrian Federation of Australia (EFA) and the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), and the international governing body for Olympic equestrian disciplines have already made the vaccinations compulsory for all horses competing in their events beginning January 1, 2014.