Australia is not the first country to be hit by Equine Influenza (E.I) and, to be honest, we have been very lucky in that this strain of E.I. not only seems quite mild when compared to many other countries who have been affected, but also that miraculously, we have a few states where we have not found a single case. This is a combination of some quick thinking, some diligent operators... and a fair bit of luck.

In saying this, there are still over 50,000 people who's income has been dramatically affected by the virus and inoculations are well on the way... Does this prevent E.I from every happening again, well off course not as the attrition rate of horses in this country is high, and, there are many different strains of the virus, just like there are for almost any virus in the world.

Does it effect me doing the something like OzRacingForm.com.au? The short answer is YES. Some horses who have been inoculated have then gone off their feed for a few days or worked poorly before a race and then, more often than not, run below expectations. Just another way to do your dosh hey? Just another consideration for me to let you know about.

Here is some information about the virus. What is the incubation time? Most horses exposed to the virus will show signs within a period of 1-5 days.

What are the signs of influenza? Equine influenza appears similar to a range of other viral respiratory diseases. Viruses that are responsible for coughs and colds in Australia include Equine Herpesvirus, Equine Rhinovirus and Equine Adenovirus. Most of these viruses produce rather mild signs which include a discharge from the nose and coughing. Equine Influenza produces more severe symptoms with horses developing a fever and a dry hacking cough. Horses become ill and are reluctant to eat or drink for several days but usually recover in 2 to 3 weeks.

How is influenza virus spread? The virus can be spread easily from horse to horse as a result of droplets and also from nasal discharge (when a horse sneezes, it can travel over 50m) and from things like infected brushes and rugs. In addition, humans can carry the virus from one horse to another, without even knowing they have it. The disease is very contagious and there is almost 100% infection rate in a population that has been previously unexposed to the virus.

Hopefully we can get through this and move on to great racing Australia wide sooner rather than later.

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Give yourself the best chance of winning by having the knowledge you need, to make the best betting decisions you can, at your disposal. OzRacingForm.com.au We have done the work, so you can reap the rewards !!!

About the Author

David Gately has years of experience in the Australian horse race industry, from both sides of the bookies table. Recognising there was an abundance of dodgy tips in the Australian Horse Race industry, but a real lack of quality information, he put together OzRacingForm.com.au to address this imbalance