The equine influenza crisis

I've sat back and read some of the letters to the newspaper regarding the outbreak of equine influenza (EI) in Australia in the last week.
As someone with a vested interest in the racing industry I've got to say I'm pretty appalled at some of the reaction from the public to the plight of the industry, which is the third largest in Australia. And this is a crisis, but one that can be overcome.
EI is not a fatal disease for horses, it's much like the flu we get. It knocks you around for a short time then goes. The trouble with EI is that it is incredibly contagious and can be carried by people, on boots, clothing and even in the air. So this is why it is important to restrict the movement of horses to stop the spread of the disease.
So far, despite the fact that all horse racing in Australia has been stopped (except for Darwin) for almost a week, no racehorses have tested positive to EI and if this trend continues the chances of it spreading further are diminished. EI has been spread through the leisure industry, showjumping and equestrian horses, a sector of the horse industry that isn't as regulated as racing.
That's why racing has tightened the screws quickly and no thoroughbreds have yet been infected. As every day goes by, with an incubation period of 2 to 5 days, those chances are reducing.
Make no mistake, the racing industry is hurting even though everyone understands that this must be done. Politicians, even Peter Costello, have acknowledged the damage to the economy that having no horse racing, and therefore gambling on horse racing, will do. As each week passes the damage is greater. Revenue that racing receives from gambling is important to the running of the industry but more important are the livelihoods of the trainers, jockeys, strappers, trackwork riders etc, very few of whom are well enough off for this period not to make a big detrimental impact on them financially. Then there are the other industries that are connected to racing like catering, security, fashion, it goes on.
And this all at the start of the spring racing carnival. The time of the year when people who care little for racing suddenly hit the track, when the international focus turns to Australia, when the biggest prizemoney is on offer and when the most money is spent by the average punter on racing.
What has disgusted me about the correspondence in the papers has been the fact that people are saying that gambling is evil etc and the racing industry deserves this to happen to it. I guarantee that every single person who has a beef with racing on this point knows of someone who has been affected in some way by the outbreak.
I personally am not interested in the motor industry, or fashion for example, but I don't wish hardship upon them.
What people have to remember about gambling is that racing is only a part of it - poker machines and casinos are far greater evils than racetracks.
As it stands racing is set to recommence in Victoria, SA, WA, Tasmania and the NT on Saturday. Best case scenario for NSW and Queensland is Saturday week but subject to some pretty strict conditions. All this is dependent on the lifting of a no-movement of horses order by the DPI on Friday afternoon. This will happen unless there is an outbreak in the other states but it will remain in NSW and QLD.
I certainly hope things can start to get back into action this weekend, as someone interested in racing another Saturday like the one just past is not desirable, and get the industry back on its feet. But it is going to take a long time to recover and the spring carnival might well not be the same this year.