Infectious Disease

Educating Clients on Core and Respiratory Disease Prevention

By Kevin Hankins, DVM, MS, MBA

Over the past two years, we’ve seen rising rates of mosquito-borne illnesses, including West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalomyelitis, affecting horses across the U.S. This has heightened levels of concern among horse owners and veterinarians alike and prompted clinics to develop additional safeguards in the hope of limiting or preventing these outbreaks.

As veterinarians, we’re unique-ly positioned to advocate for the public safety of the horses entrusted in our care. In this column, I address core and risk-based disease vaccination reminders and provide a paired vaccine recommendation. Our aim is to equip both vets and clients with the information needed to empower choices, promote partnership and provide greater peace of mind.

KEY INSIGHTS TO SHARE WITH CLIENTS
Annual spring wellness visits are the ideal time to educate horse owners on research-backed vaccine protocols. It can be helpful to remind clients that the core equine diseases—those that pose a risk of significant harm to horses—include Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE), Western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE), tetanus, rabies and West Nile virus (WNV). Every horse is at risk for exposure to these five core diseases, but it’s important to note that rabies remains the most serious threat. It’s staggering to consider that only one in six horses is vaccinated when rabies is 100% fatal.1

Of the risk-based diseases, respiratory illness remains the primary cause of death in horses, mostly due to equine influenza (flu) and equine herpesvirus (rhino).2 I find it valuable to ground clients in the knowledge that flu is the most common risk-based disease and their horse can be exposed to it across the distance of half a football field.3 Given how difficult it is to stop the spread of certain infectious diseases, prevention needs to be our top priority through strong biosecurity protocols that include vaccination.

THE PERFECT PAIR
A two-part vaccine protocol that I recommend divides core equine disease coverage and respiratory disease protection into separate injections. This approach has been shown to provide up to 4.7 times better immune response against flu than combination vaccines.4 Zoetis refers to these vaccines as The Perfect Pair: Core EQ Innovator® and Fluvac Innovator® EHV-4/1.

The research behind this innovative pairing is extensive and reason enough to consider its unique formulation. Core EQ Innovator is the only vaccine to offer comprehensive coverage against the most prevalent and dangerous equine diseases in a single injection. Its counterpart, Fluvac Innovator EHV-4/1, delivers trusted flu and rhino (EHV-1 and EHV-4) protection. During annual wellness visits in the spring, I recommend vaccination against all five core equine diseases along with a respiratory vaccine with flu and rhino coverage. Fall booster respiratory vaccines may also be recommended for horses at a higher risk.

REFERENCES
Core EQ Innovator® is indicated for the vaccination of healthy horses against rabies, tetanus, West Nile, and Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis.

1. Data on file, Animalytix, Inc., Equine EIV Vaccines data June 2023.
2. American Association of Equine Practitioners. Equine Influenza Guidelines. Accessed January 7, 2025.
3. American Association of Equine Practitioners. Vaccination Guidelines. https://aaep.org/guidelines/vaccination-guidelines. Accessed January 7, 2025.
4. Zoetis Inc. Data on file, Study Report No. 14OREQBIO-1, Zoetis Inc.

For more information, visit The Perfect Pair website.