EI vaccines won't reach Qld until Friday
The first shipment of a horse flu vaccine will arrive on Thursday in Australia but is unlikely to reach Queensland horses until at least on Friday.
Australian authorities have ordered an initial supply of 20,000 vials of Equine Influenza (EI) vaccine from France.
Nearly 9,000 vials have been allocated to Queensland horses but Queensland racing authorities warned on Tuesday that the vials would not reach Queensland horses until at least Friday.
Horse populations on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts and at Ipswich and Toowoomba will be given priority after horses at stables in the Brisbane suburbs of Hendra and Deagon are given the vaccine this week.
The Queensland government has opened the public chequebook to those effected by the EI standstill, declaring the horse flu crisis a "natural disaster".
Premier Anna Bligh put the state disaster management group in charge of handling the outbreak and announced an emergency relief package for people directly employed in the racing industry.
State cabinet will determine the criteria for the scheme when it meets on Monday, but Ms Bligh estimated it would give around $8 million in aid.
© 2024 AAP
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