Hendra Virus
About the Virus
Hendra Virus is a recently emerged serious zoonotic infectious disease transmitted by flying foxes. It is capable of causing fatal disease in both horses and humans. The flying foxes shed the virus in their saliva, urine, aborted foetuses and reproductive fluids, and horses are thought to contract Hendra virus by ingesting feed or water contaminated with one of these sources of infection. The virus can then be passed from these infected horses to people.
Over 70 horses have died due to infection with this virus since the disease was first recognised in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra in 1994, and 7 cases of human infection have since been recorded with 4 of these people tragically dying. These people were infected by close contact with infected horses. There have been multiple incidents of this disease on the east coast of Australia over the ensuing 20 years from Cairns to Kempsey.
Four species of flying fox are the natural host of this disease, and have probably been so for hundreds of years. The virus does not cause sickness within these bats, and in some populations as many as 50% have evidence of previous exposure to the virus. It appears that only under certain circumstances do these bats actually excrete the virus into the environment.
Hendra Virus Vaccine
The Hendra virus vaccine for horses, produced by a commercial manufacturer was released on 1st November 2012. This vaccine is the single most effective way of reducing the risk of Hendra Virus infection in horses, and as such provides the main safeguard against human infection from needless exposure to bodily fluids from an infected horse.
Symptoms
The clinical signs of Hendra virus infection unfortunately can closely resemble several other common equine disorders such as colic, respiratory infections or nervous signs. Therefore anyone handling sick unvaccinated horses, important infection control precautions must be taken (such as wearing protective equipment, quarantining sick horses, following good hygiene practices).
In fact if your horse shows any of the following signs seek veterinary advice immediately:
# Severe lethargy # wobbly or stagger # having trouble breathing # lying down or unable to stand
TAKE CARE NOT TO EXPOSE YOURSELF TO A SICK HORSE
Protecting yourself and your horses from Hendra Virus involves keeping them and their feed and water containers away from flowering & fruiting trees during the bats breeding season (June to October). Simple hygiene measures such as washing your hands in soap and water each time you handle a horse is an effective habit to develop.
Hendra Virus is a recently emerged serious zoonotic infectious disease transmitted by flying foxes. It is capable of causing fatal disease in both horses and humans. The flying foxes shed the virus in their saliva, urine, aborted foetuses and reproductive fluids, and horses are thought to contract Hendra virus by ingesting feed or water contaminated with one of these sources of infection. The virus can then be passed from these infected horses to people.
Over 70 horses have died due to infection with this virus since the disease was first recognised in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra in 1994, and 7 cases of human infection have since been recorded with 4 of these people tragically dying. These people were infected by close contact with infected horses. There have been multiple incidents of this disease on the east coast of Australia over the ensuing 20 years from Cairns to Kempsey.
Four species of flying fox are the natural host of this disease, and have probably been so for hundreds of years. The virus does not cause sickness within these bats, and in some populations as many as 50% have evidence of previous exposure to the virus. It appears that only under certain circumstances do these bats actually excrete the virus into the environment.
Hendra Virus Vaccine
The Hendra virus vaccine for horses, produced by a commercial manufacturer was released on 1st November 2012. This vaccine is the single most effective way of reducing the risk of Hendra Virus infection in horses, and as such provides the main safeguard against human infection from needless exposure to bodily fluids from an infected horse.
Symptoms
The clinical signs of Hendra virus infection unfortunately can closely resemble several other common equine disorders such as colic, respiratory infections or nervous signs. Therefore anyone handling sick unvaccinated horses, important infection control precautions must be taken (such as wearing protective equipment, quarantining sick horses, following good hygiene practices).
In fact if your horse shows any of the following signs seek veterinary advice immediately:
# Severe lethargy # wobbly or stagger # having trouble breathing # lying down or unable to stand
TAKE CARE NOT TO EXPOSE YOURSELF TO A SICK HORSE
Protecting yourself and your horses from Hendra Virus involves keeping them and their feed and water containers away from flowering & fruiting trees during the bats breeding season (June to October). Simple hygiene measures such as washing your hands in soap and water each time you handle a horse is an effective habit to develop.
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