title: Analysis of local spread of equine influenza in the Park Ridge region of Queensland.
abstract: In 2007, an incursion of equine influenza (EI) occurred in Australia. Accurate maps of property boundaries were used to examine the pattern and mechanism of local spread of EI. This study focussed on a cluster of infected premises (IPs) at Park Ridge, a peri-urban suburb 26 km south of Brisbane, Queensland. The cluster recorded 437 IPs and 81% of these were not contiguous to a previously IP. The mean distance from each new IP to the closest previous IP was 0.85 +/- 1.50 km with a range of 0.01-12.94 km. Eighty-two percent of new IPs were within 1 km of a previous IP. The spatial mean for each week's new IPs showed a consistent trend of movement from east to west throughout the epizootic consistent with the predominant wind patterns. The findings were consistent with the conclusion that EI will routinely spread over 1-2 km via wind-borne aerosol.
authors.affiliation: Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer, Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra, Australia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Garner
authors.forename: I J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: East
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D006736:Horses; D053123:Influenza A Virus, H3N8 Subtype; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D011793:Queensland / Q000453:epidemiology