Mandatory Vaccination Protested
A mandatory influenza vaccination policy at the Crawford City Fairgrounds (Pennsylvania), implemented this year following an outbreak of influenza at the facility in 2008 is being met with disdain.
Among the complaints:
"A two-day horse show is different than an eight-day fair exhibition.'" Two days is lots of time to transmit infectious diseases.
"If a horse is sick and can’t perform, people won’t bring them to a show." Unfortunately, that's not the case. Also, not all horses that are shedding infectious diseases look sick.
"All these requirements will not guarantee healthy horses." Absolutely true. But, with infection control, we are trying to reduce the risk and incidence of diseases. We know we'll never eliminate the risk.
"There’s no sense giving a shot that will do more damage than the disease." Influenza vaccination is very safe. While adverse effects can occur with any vaccine, influenza vaccines are quite low risk.
"Potentially, requiring a 30-day vaccination for each show will cost horse exhibitors and 4-H members in horse clubs too much money." The cost of vaccination is dwarfed by other costs of participating in such events. People spend a lot of money on board, feed, tack, supplements (many of which are useless), trailering and many other items. In the grand scheme of things, vaccines don't add much to the total yearly cost.
No one knows whether mandatory vaccination against influenza ought to required for all horse shows as an infection control precaution. However, given the fact that outbreaks can occur, that all events involving mixing of large numbers of horses pose a high disease risk, and that vaccination is relatively cheap and effective, it seems like a logical requirement to me.
Here's another side to the debate:
Two of my five horses react strongly to vaccines. They're my show horses. They'd have to stay home.
Yes, people bring sick horses to shows just like they dose up on Contact C and go to work.
Annual vaccination cost every 30 days for show season:
Vaccine $10 (?) + call charge $50 x 7 months = $420/year + GST.
Add other regional vaccines, Coggins test... (Wages @ $500/week = nearly two weeks of work every year after taxes just to pay vaccine cost!) Not insignificant.
There was one event (a trail ride) last year that required proof of vaccinations beyond the core and I didn't go because of it. Any extra costs can be a deciding factor.
Is it more reasonable to practice biosecurity and good hygiene? Reduce contact, bring your own buckets, disinfect the stall, etc.?
I wouldn't find myself saying "I'm not going to that event because they don't require vaccines" but I would say "I'm not going because they do require vaccines."
The actual vaccination requirement is not stated in the article but hopefully it is more than just a single vaccination. Ideally the show organizers would have insisted on either a valid primary consisting of at least 2 vaccinations 21 to 42 days apart or a booster to a valid primary no more than 90 days and no less than 14 days prior to entry to the show. The show organizers could also look at herpes vaccination.
While not a "country stopper", flu and herpes outbreaks sure are "event stoppers' and the cost of vaccination dwindles to insignificant when compared to the costs of managing an outbreak during an event.