I was confused when the outbreak was first reported when it was announced that the Australian racing industry could be ruined by the equine 'flu, but at the same time it was stressed that it was not lethal.
So what's the problem?
If a horse has the 'flu and is out of action for a few weeks, so what?
The horses are all being quarantined, on the theory that keeping the sick horses away from the others will stop the 'flu in its tracks. If this is so, why are people who have the 'flu allowed to travel among others, go to work, etc? Why are they not put into strict quarantine too?
Could it be that the uninterrupted profit turnover in the racing industry is considered more important than the annual loss of work hours and (more importantly) human lives due to "human" 'flu?
We used to have very strict rules about the importation of horses - what happened to them?
Sorry, McTag, didn't mean to hi-jack your question, it seems to be a good one, but I wanted to get that off my chest.
I wonder........
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol2no1/equine.htm