From page 36
earlier will mean the horses
are prone to the disease from
administer the two-injection
about April, while administervaccine or they handle and
ing the injections later means
administer the vaccine
incorrectly. Or, they neglect a the horses will have built up
insufficient immunity in
simple disease-prevention
January. However it is still
programme in their stables
worth doing up to the end of
from late spring to late
summer, when the carrier, the December, if you have not
done it before.
Culicoides midge, abounds.
The two injections are
The programme comprises
two injections given subcuta- effective against different
neously (under the skin) three strains of the disease so both
must be administered,
weeks apart. It is common
practice to
administer the
inoculations in
October/Nov.
These months are
considered the best
time to administer
the vaccines,
whose efficacy is
short-lived,
because one wants
How NOT to inject a horse in the neck. As it
to ensure maxifeels the prick of the needle the horse may
mum immunity
involutarily jerk its head up and backwards,
late in the summer. which can result in the needle breaking off under
Administering them the skin. Rather insert the needle pointing
backwards.
ANIMAL HEALTH
otherwise the animal will not
build up the full spectrum of
immunity to all strains.
Similarly, it is important that
injected horses should not be
worked hard, especially
during the second week of
each three week period
following the injections as this
is the time that immunity is
maximised.
And, the three week gap
should also be strictly
adhered to otherwise
immunity is, likewise,
compromised.
The vaccine itself is a freezedried culture which is mixed
with an ampoule of distilled
water before administering
and it is important that the
vaccine remain refrigerated
during storage and transportation, and that the injection be
given immediately the
vaccine and water are mixed.
Good stable management,
aimed at limiting the exposure of the horse to the
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carrier midge, will go a long
way to helping prevent the
killer scourge of AHS.
Moreover, there is only one
producer of AHS vaccine in
South Africa, namely
Onderstepoort Biological
Products (OBP). Over the
past few years bottlenecks
and shortages in the supply of
AHS (and some other)
vaccines have occurred, so it
is worth making enquiries, or
placing orders, now for the
vaccines you know you will
require later this year.
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