The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) welcomed the announcement made today (Aug. 5) that the Hendra virus vaccine has received registration from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA).

Ian Fulton, BVSc, MSc, FACVSc, president of Equine Veterinarians Australia, a special interest group of the AVA, said they welcomed the fact the vaccine has met the necessary requirements for registration.

“The APVMA’s requirements to register a vaccine are stringent, and there needs to be solid evidence that the vaccine is both effective and safe for it to be approved,” he said. “Until now, the vaccine has been available on a temporary permit, and during that time any reactions to the vaccine have been recorded and investigated.

“We welcome the release of information about these adverse reactions by APVMA with less than 0.03% of doses causing some kind of adverse reaction; this is in line with what our members have told us—that they have seen only small numbers of problems with the vaccine