Horse flu flare up in Australia

New outbreaks of horse flu in Australia last week have caused the horse-racing industry to eat here and there into a widespread crisis, when hundreds of horses exhibited symptoms of the disease.

Government officials have confirmed that the plague has spread out of Sydney, to the countryside of New South Wales, across the border of the state and into Queensland. The Australian Government has tried to prevent the rapid spread of epidemics in an unprecedented way of forcing closed schools across the country. But their efforts did not seem to work.

Billions of Australian dollars earned from the horse racing business seem to have been plagued by plague. In October this year, if the epidemic is still widespread, it will seriously threaten the traditional ' Melbourne Cup ' horse race - a major Australian and world sporting event held every year.

A horse is quarantined at the Centennial Parklands Equestrian center in Sydney (Photo: Canada)

Even horse flu can adversely affect security plans to protect the APEC summit, held next month in Sydney in the presence of more than 20 heads of state in the world.

The initial plague was attempted to control at two locations in Sydney with 16 horses tested for positive results last week. These horses were quarantined, but the number of infected horses then rapidly grew to more than 200 and even increased.

The Australian government has now banned the movement of horses, including mules and donkeys between localities, and canceled domestic horse races. The closure of the racetracks will cost tens of millions of dollars (Australia) a day to Australia's horse racing business, but that is the only way to prevent the spread of the disease.

New Zealand has also closed for horses from Australia, which includes many of the best breed horses originating from the US, Europe and Asia. They are intended to be used for reproductive purposes, which start this week, these breeds worth about $ 500 million.

Flu symptoms that weaken horses are similar to flu symptoms seen in humans , including symptoms such as high fever, cough and anorexia. Australia is a country with the most stringent regulations in the world for animal quarantine. In the past, there has never been a case of horse flu recorded by them.

Officials suspect that the disease may have come from Japan, where widespread bird flu has occurred. Because for the first time after more than 35 years Japanese horse races were canceled last week, after having 100 horses tested positive.

Japanese horses still come to Australia to attend the most organized races in the spring, and then they stay here in stallions throughout the breeding season.

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