Response of Australian veterinarians to the announcement of a Hendra virus vaccine becoming available.

DESIGN A cross-sectional study of private veterinarians providing equine services in Queensland. RESULTS The study revealed that a majority of veterinarians would support the introduction of a Hendra virus (HeV) vaccine. Moreover, almost half of the respondents intended to make vaccination a prerequisite to horse patient presentation. However, participants also responded that a vaccine would not reduce the risk sufficiently to cease or downgrade their HeV management plan and infection control measures. CONCLUSION When devising promoting and marketing campaigns, government agencies and manufacturers should consider private veterinarians' intentions as a significant driver for the uptake of the HeV vaccine.

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