In recent days an unvaccinated 24-year-old horse passed away from Hendra virus in the Newscastle Region of New South Wales Australia. Australia’s history of Hendra virus in animals’ dates to 1994 when 13 horses died from the virus in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra and 2 other horses dying in an unrelated outbreak in Mackay. It appears that the source of the most recent death were bat colonies close by the property where the horse was kept. The property is minutes away from a colony housing up to 6000 flying fox bats. Animals can be infected after exposure to Hendra virus through urine of infected flying fox bats and can be transmitted to humans from animals after exposure to bodily fluids of an infected animal and is proposed to be fatal to both species. People pose a higher risk when living near flying foxes or encounter a horse that has had contact with infected bats in Australia. Symptoms of Hendra virus include respiratory disease, neurological disease, and mild to severe influenza-like illness. Once symptoms of Hendra virus appear a diagnosis will come from laboratory testing usually conducted in a high containment facility. Treatment for human cases of Hendra virus include supportive care and in animal cases a vaccine has been confirmed as an effective way to reduce the risk of animal infection and human exposure. Early detection of Hendra virus in infected animals, avoiding horses that are ill or infected, and wearing appropriate personal protective equipment when in contact with infected horses is required are effective prevention methods.
Resources
https://www.who.int/health-topics/hendra-virus-disease#tab=tab_1
https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/hendra/index.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-07-19/horse-dies-from-hendra-virus-in-nsw-hunter-region/102620070
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pteropus
Maegan Traveler is an Education Specialist for Education and Institutional Preparedness for the SPECTRE Program.