New Zealand: Changes to the rules for importing horses from Australia

Australia is seeing an increase in cases of mosquito deficiency virus or Japanese encephalitis. To avoid any spread, New Zealand has decided to tighten its conditions for importing horses from its neighboring country.

several casesJapanese encephalitis Confirmed in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, 1News . media reports. Several of these virus cases have been identified in pigs.
New Zealand’s Biosafety Program is monitoring the situation closely but says that The risk of importing the virus into Earth is weak Because the country does not import live pigs from Australia. Conditions for importing animals into New Zealand still stand subject to review, so that the country does not lose its international animal health status. New Zealand has Record absence of Japanese encephalitis on its territory.

New import terms

” Instructions have been given to horse importers regarding Daily health check requiredEquine veterinarians have been advised on testing for the virus and reporting suspected cases of Japanese encephalitis to the New Zealand Biosecurity Program. Dr. Marie Van Andel, Chief Veterinarian at the Ministry of Primary Industries explains.
Which horse is in A radius of one hundred kilometers from the active focus In Australia now export ban to New Zealand. New Zealand’s Biosecurity Program identifies horses coming from an endemic area can be moved, They were then placed in quarantine to move to New Zealand.

” All horses imported from Australia must be monitored daily for twenty one days for any signs of illness and all horses must be reported to the Biosecurity Program Says Marie Van Andel. She adds that the scale for horse vaccination Japanese Encephalitis has now been introduced. Vaccine against this virus Available in New Zealand.

Japanese encephalitis

Japanese encephalitis is caused by a flavivirus is from the same family as the dengue virusYellow fever and West Nile virus transmitted by mosquitoes. Large outbreaks of Japanese encephalitis occur every two to fifteen years. The Transmission intensifies during the rainy season, During which the number of mosquitoes carrying the virus increases. Less than 1% of people with encephalitis have symptoms, but The mortality rate for people with symptoms can be as high as 30%.

The virus can affect a Big group of animals But it does not pass between them directly; He is not It moves between bodies only by mosquitoes. For this reason, horses in New Zealand are considered to be ” dead end hosts Because it cannot transmit Japanese encephalitis directly to other horses. There are vaccines to prevent this virus.

The New Zealand Ministry of Health said it is working with New Zealand Biosecurity to determine the ways the virus could enter New Zealand.