EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EQUINE FLU

EQUINE FLU is a highly contagious virus that afflicts horses, mules and donkeys...

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

A horse’s breathing is affected and it also suffers a temperature, nasal discharge and coughing.

HOW IS IT PASSED ON?

In three ways. It can spread directly from one infected horse to another through secretions or nasal discharge, through airborne particles in the environment or via equipment or humans’ contaminated clothing.

HOW LONG DOES IT LAST FOR?

In vaccinated horses, usually between 24 and 48 hours, although athletic performance can be affected for several weeks and a full recovery can take several months. Equine flu can be fatal in some cases, but deaths are rare.

HAS IT DISRUPTED BRITISH RACING BEFORE?

Yes. There was an outbreak in 1979 — the Jockey Club introduced mandatory vaccination two years later — in 1989 and in Newmarket in 2003, although no meetings were lost. Australian racing was badly affected in 2007, but did not have a policy of mandatory vaccination at the time of the outbreak.

WHY DOESN’T THE VACCINATION ALWAYS WORK?

In the same way that not every human who has a flu jab is protected, the virus develops and exists in different ‘strains’.

IS THERE A HEALTH RISK TO HUMANS?

No, there are no known cases of humans ever contracting equine flu.