Fed: Bird flu scare ends up being the horses saviour: experts

AAP General News (Australia)
08-01-2008
Fed: Bird flu scare ends up being the horses saviour: experts

SYDNEY, Aug 1 AAP - The global threat of bird flu saved the Australian horse industry,
experts say.

In 2004, the CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory developed a molecular diagnostic
test for bird flu, at a time when equine influenza (EI) was not even on the radar.

Three years later, the same test was used in the effort to stop the spread of EI, with
Agtrans Research saying it allowed authorities to determine the best ways to contain it.

"It's fortuitous that this diagnostic test could be applied to horse flu, as it's highly
unlikely that a similar test could have been developed in a timely manner once the outbreak
had been detected," Agtrans' Dr Peter Chudleigh said in a statement today.

"The use of the test supported the decision to try for eventual eradication."

Dr Chudleigh said the main benefit from the diagnostic test was how quickly EI could be detected.

Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre chief executive Dr Stephen Prowse
said the economic benefit of using the diagnostic test was more than $134 million.

"It took 125 days to eradicate equine influenza," he said.

But using the test enabled Australia to demonstrate freedom from the disease to the
international community much earlier than would have otherwise been possible, he said.

"(And) at a much reduced expense to the industry, and freeing up horse movements,"

Dr Prowse said.

EI entered Australia through a Sydney quarantine centre, then spread through NSW and
Queensland, shutting down the racing industry in those states for three months.

The breakout led to the cancellation of the 2007 Sydney Spring Carnival and the Queensland
Summer Carnival, threatened the Melbourne Cup and disrupted breeding, exports and equestrian
events.

The federal government is facing millions of dollars in compensation claims from the
racing industry after a damning report blamed the quarantine authority for the devastating
outbreak.

Australia was officially declared EI free on June 30, six months after the last detected case.

AAP nr/evt/goc/cdh

KEYWORD: STALLIONS FLU

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