ABC Radio’s Country Hour program has followed the horse flu outbreak constantly. The program was broadcast from the State Disease Control Headquarters in Orange this month. Here chief veterinary officer Bruce Christie is on-air with David Claughton.

Recent zone changes signal a positive step towards achieving control and eradication of horse flu in NSW, according to chief veterinary officer Bruce Christie.

"Lowering the risk of infection from red to amber is further evidence that the NSW strategies of movement restrictions, zoning and vaccination are successfully containing and eradicating EI," Mr Christie said.

"Mudgee and Temora red zone pockets were cleared, following on from Dunedoo, Berry and Wauchope.

"We are confident that as long as all horse owners continue to adhere to the current movement restrictions and maintain strict biosecurity, we will continue to have further good news."

Mr Christie said it was vital horse owners continued to play their role by taking all possible biosecurity measures and adhering to movement restrictions.

"It is really important that patient and committed horse owners across the State keep working with us to rid NSW of the EI virus."

Mr Christie said the rate of new infection had dropped dramatically in the last six weeks, from around 200 new infections per day at the end of September to about five per day.

Meanwhile, first shot vaccination of healthy horses in the infected purple zone had surged above 5000 when Agriculture Today went to press and before the weather began to close in.

Thousands more horse owners registered, seeking vaccination. With the number of infections in the purple zone declining as the virus burns out and immunity builds up in vaccinated buffers, opportunities for the virus to spread have become more limited.

Mr Christie said new infections would mainly be confined to horses within the contained purple zone that had so far remained healthy.

"We have moved on to targeting healthy horses in the purple zone so they can build up immunity and speed up overall recovery in the zone, should they become infected," Mr Christie said.

More than 50 community meetings had been held, with more planned, in an attempt to ensure horse owners had access to local information and could have their questions answered.

For details on meeting dates and locations, and for the latest on zones and other key messages go to:

Website: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/equine-influenza

Equine Influenza hotline: 1800 675 888