Equine Flu: Why Six-Month Boosters Are Recommended

An expert in the spread of diseases has explained what vets have learnt from the flu outbreak

- Lucy Elder

THE reasons the UK veterinary industry acted as it did in this year’s equine flu (EI) outbreak and the decision-making behind six-month booster requirements have been explained by an expert.

Dr. Richard Newton, director of epidemiology and disease surveillance at the Animal Health Trust (AHT), spoke about what UK vets have learnt from the 2019 outbreak at an event at the British Racing School on 19 November.

The take-home messages were that despite advice, some horse owners are not either believing in or complying with the six-month booster recommendation.

Dr. Newton said the strain responsible for the outbreaks this year, and the way it moved across Europe, were behind the decision to shut down racing in February.

“We were seeing a different picture emerging in Europe,” he said, explaining that the decision was not based on the situation in the UK alone and that vets were seeing clinical signs in vaccinated horses in Europe. “This is when the alarm bells rang.”

The strain was also different to the flu usually seen in the UK and Europe — this was Florida clade 1, as opposed to Florida clade 2.

“In 2019, we witnessed the largest epidemic in Britain and Europe in 30 years,” he said.

“What we hadn’t counted on, was the second wave taking off in April through May, which peaked in the last week of June. This made headlines and events started to take stock and were cancelled.

“A large proportion of the UK has had flu diagnoses at some point this year. There were also reports of airborne spread, which is the first in my time at the AHT.