Page 8 - Equine influenza e-Book

Subsequent management

Treatment

• Rest: 1 week for every day of fever.
• Monitor for secondary bacterial infection and provide antibiotic cover Therapeutics: antimicrobials if
appropriate.

Monitoring

• Clinical signs.

Prevention

Control

• Vaccination Equine influenza vaccine.

Vaccination in the presence of maternal antibodies is not recommended as it may → the
induction of tolerance, therefore start vaccination of foals at 6-9 months when maternal
antibodies have declined. Foals from non-vaccinated mares can be vaccinated at 3 months.

• Primary vaccine course: 2 doses 21-90 days apart.
• Booster vaccination 150-215 days after second injection of primary course.
• Subsequent boosters at least every 12 months (younger animals may require boosters every 4-6
months).
• Boosters to be given more often if at risk, eg transported to race tracks.
• The efficacy of a vaccination is determined by its hemagglutinin content (measured by single radial
immunodiffusion).
• Live inactivate vaccines are effective; killed vaccines are not effective.
• Vectored vaccines are available, eg Proteq Flu uses canarypox vector have shown to induce a wider
range of immunity.
• Formal surveillance by OIE and WHO is carried out and then they advise on the best strain to include in
the vaccines.
• The majority of epidemics occur when horses are vaccinated with out of date vaccines which only induce
partial immunity.

Prophylaxis

• Equine influenza vaccines Equine influenza vaccine.
• Some are combined with tetanus toxoid.
• Protective efficacy of vaccines may decrease due to antigenic drift of virus strains.

Group eradication

• Vaccination.
• Isolate young animals.
• Vaccinate mares 1 month prior to parturition Reproduction: management - female.

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