Australia - Vet waits on Hendra virus results

[Treyfish]

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• Natasha Bita
• From: <CITE>The Australian </CITE>
• May 21, 2010 12:00AM

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• lethal Hendra virus faces a six-week wait for results, after biosecurity officers yesterday quarantined the Sunshine Coast property where he treated a horse dying of the bat-borne disease. <!-- google_ad_section_end(name=story_introduction) -->

<!-- // .story-intro --><!-- google_ad_section_start(name=story_body, weight=high) -->Queensland Health is testing seven people, including the vet, who were in contact with the ailing gelding.
Cooroora Veterinary Clinic owner Ben Poole said yesterday one of his vets had euthanased the horse at a property at Tewantin, near Noosa, on Monday, after it kept "staggering and falling over".
But he stressed the vet had taken precautionary measures, unlike previous human victims of the virus. "He's concerned but calm," Dr Poole said. "He took excellent precautions prior to examining the horse so he minimised his potential exposure."
Dr Poole said the vet had worn a protective gown, gloves, mask and boots, and had not intubated the horse.
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The vet, the two horse owners and three other people who had been in contact with the horse will have to wait up to six weeks to know if they have been infected.
Queensland Health senior director of communicable diseases Christine Selvey said yesterday that free testing and counselling would be offered to anyone who feared they had been infected.
"Anybody who's potentially come in contact with Hendra virus would be worried," Dr Selvey said.
"And I think it's, obviously, a very scary disease for anybody."
The Australian Veterinary Association warned vets last night to be vigilant for symptoms of the exotic equine disease, which has killed four of the seven people infected since its discovery in the racetrack suburb of Hendra, in Brisbane's north, in 1994.
Rockhampton vet Alister Rodgers died last year after treating a sick horse he had diagnosed with snakebite, a year after the death of Brisbane vet Ben Cunneen.
Neither vet had been wearing protective equipment, which authorities now recommend.
The AVA's vice-president, Barry Smyth, advised horse owners yesterday to place feed and water under cover where possible, and not to put them under trees where flying foxes may roost.
Queensland's chief veterinary officer, Ron Glanville, said the quarantined property backed on to swampy bushland, was close to a bat colony and shaded by flowering gum trees.
He said the property had been quarantined as soon as the positive test results arrived yesterday.
He said the dead horse had been a pet, previously used for pony club rides, and there were no other horses on the property.
The Tewantin outbreak is the 14th such flare-up in 16 years.
Dr Selvey said the Hendra virus could not be transmitted between humans.
All human infections had resulted from direct exposure to the tissues and secretions of dead or dying horses.
Symptoms in humans included flu-like illness, brain inflammation, high fevers, headache and drowsiness.:tiphat:http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...ra-virus-results/story-e6frg6nf-1225869372244

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Vet waits on Hendra virus results

Re: Vet waits on Hendra virus results

Horse dies from Hendra virus

Updated: 06:37, Friday May 21, 2010

Up to seven people who may have been exposed to a Hendra-infected horse will have to wait six weeks to find out if they are clear of the life-threatening virus.
The sick horse was put down after a vet visited a property at Tewantin, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, on Monday.
Tests on Thursday confirmed the horse had Hendra virus.
Officers from Biosecurity Queensland and Queensland Health were on the unnamed quarantined property talking to the owners and any other people who may have had contact with the horse.
It is the 41st horse to die from the virus since 1994.
Chief veterinary officer Dr Ron Glanville told reporters that up to seven people could have been in contact with the horse before it died.
This included the vet, who wore protective equipment to examine the horse due to his suspicion that it had the Hendra virus.
Queensland Health senior director of communicable diseases branch, Dr Christine Selvey, said free testing and counselling would be offered in this stressful time.
'Anybody who's potentially come in contact with Hendra virus would be worried,' she said.
'And I think it's, obviously, a very scary disease for anybody.'
Those who wanted testing would have blood taken on Thursday, and again in three weeks and six weeks' time.
But they would be tested sooner if they exhibited any signs of Hendra, which included influenza-type symptoms and generally presented within five to 21 days of exposure.
Dr Glanville said the virus, which has claimed the lives of four people out of the seven who had contracted it to date, was not highly infectious.
'But if you do get it, it's a very serious disease,' he said.
'It's certainly got a higher than 50 per cent mortality rate in any horse or person.'
Dr Glanville said there was a bat colony in the area.
Bats are known to carry the virus and pass it to horses through bodily fluids.
A horse lives on the adjoining property but is not believed to be under threat.
Queensland Horse Council president Debbie Dekker says most people believed the misconception that the Hendra virus was seasonal, coinciding with the flying foxes breeding season between June and August because previous Hendra outbreaks occurred during that time.
'We are fearful people get complacent because they think the Hendra virus is seasonal but this is proof that this is not the case,' Ms Dekker told AAP.
'The fact is we don't know what the stresses are to cause bats to shed the virus.
'It's circulating in bats at all times which means it can happen anytime.'
The Australian Veterinary Association warned horse owners in the area to take precautions and report any suspected cases of infection.:tiphat:http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=464321

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Vet waits on Hendra virus results

Re: Vet waits on Hendra virus results

Vets demand urgent research after fresh hendra virus case

Posted 26 minutes ago
An artificially coloured electron micrograph of hendra virus. (Frank Filippi, CSIRO)

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• Preliminary test results are expected today for several people who may have been exposed to hendra virus on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Vets are calling for more research into the fatal disease.
A Sunshine Coast horse was put down on Monday at Tewantin and yesterday hendra virus was confirmed as the cause.
Another horse and several people are being tested.
Four people have died from hendra virus in 15 years, including vet Dr Ben Cunneen, 33, who died in August 2008 while working at the Redlands Veterinary Clinic, east of Brisbane.
Another outbreak at a Cawarral property near Rockhampton in central Queensland in August last year, also killed four horses and claimed the life of vet Dr Alister Rodgers.
Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) spokesman Mark Lawrie says more research is needed.
"It would be really great if governments - federal and state - put in a bit more towards hendra research - it's fatally critical," he said.
Dr Lawrie says it is not surprising to the AVA that there is another case.
"We really had expectations that we would see more hendra this year - it wouldn't surprise us if there are more cases this year," he said.
"There's greater awareness so people are looking for hendra more, so we're more likely to identify it that way.
"We know it's a virus that's been around for a number of years and we need to take those precautions to reduce the risk to people and to horses."
The owner of the Redlands Veterinary Clinic, Dr David Lovell, agrees and says it is worrying to see another outbreak.
"There shouldn't be any question about putting some money out to get a vaccine developed," he said.
"How many more people have to contract this terrible disease?"
"It's just dreadful, it's frightening, it's still early in the year and we've had two outbreaks a year for the last two or three years,
"It's just worrying how many more outbreaks we're going to have this year. :tiphat:http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=464321

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Australia - Vet waits on Hendra virus results

Hendra virus hits Tewantin

21st May 2010

Fruit bats spread the deadly Hendra virus.
Brett Wortman


UP to seven people who may have been exposed to a Hendra-infected horse at Tewantin will have to wait six weeks to find out if they are clear of the life-threatening virus.
The sick horse was put down after staff of Cooroy-based vet Ben Poole visited the affected property on Monday.
The horse, reported to be owned by a mother and daughter who kept the horse as a pet, was described as twitching, circling and wobbly.
A positive Hendra virus result was only confirmed yesterday.
Officers from Biosecurity Queensland and Queensland Health were on the property yesterday, talking to the owners and any other people who may have had contact with the horse.
It is the 41st horse to die from the illness, known to be carried by bats and passed on to horses through bodily fluids, since 1994.
Chief veterinary officer Dr Ron Glanville said up to seven people could have been in contact with the horse before it was put down on Monday.
He said the property owner noticed the horse's condition on Monday morning.
Dr Glanville said the vet, who was wearing protective equipment due to his suspicion of Hendra virus, examined the horse.
He said there was a bat colony in the area.
Another horse on the property had not shown any signs of the illness by last night.
Biosecurity officers have quarantined the property as a precautionary measure, with Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin saying the situation was being treated ?very seriously?.
?Officers from Biosecurity Queensland will be on the ground in Tewantin tomorrow with information about the Hendra virus," Mr Mulherin said.
Queensland Health Communicable Diseases Branch senior director Dr Christine Selvey said all people who were identified as having been in close contact with the horse, including the owners, would be offered free testing and counselling.
Dr Selvey said there had only been seven confirmed cases of Hendra virus in humans and it was important to note there had been no cases of transmission from human to human.
?Anybody who's potentially come in contact with Hendra virus would be worried.
?And I think it's, obviously, a very scary disease for anybody.?
Dr Selvey said symptoms in humans generally presented within five to 21 days of exposure to the virus.
Queensland Horse Council president Debbie Dekker said most people believed that the Hendra virus was seasonal, coinciding with the flying fox breeding season, from June to August.
?We are fearful people get complacent because they think the Hendra virus is seasonal but this is proof that this is not the case,? Ms Dekker said.
?The fact is we don't know what the stresses are to cause bats to shed the virus. It's circulating in bats at all times ? it can happen anytime.?
Four of seven people who have contracted the virus in Queensland have died.
Tewantin-Noosa Pony Club officials did not want to comment on the positive test last night:tiphat:http://www.ipswichadvertiser.com.au...eople-killer-virus-tests-bio-officers-hendra/

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Australia - Vet waits on Hendra virus results

Source: http://www.centraltelegraph.com.au/story/2010/05/21/7-people-killer-virus-tests-bio-officers-hendra/

Nine to be tested for Hendra

Paul Munnings and Anne-Louise Brown with AAP | 21st May 2010

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UPDATE: A YOUNG girl is among nine people potentially exposed to the deadly Hendra virus on the Sunshine Coast.

Fruit bats spread the deadly Hendra virus.
Brett Wortman

A YOUNG girl is among nine people potentially exposed to the deadly Hendra virus on the Sunshine Coast.

They all came in contact with a horse infected with the virus that was put down on Monday at a property at Tewantin.

Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young says blood samples of the nine were taken on Thursday and preliminary results should be known on Friday.

"The first test only gives us a baseline, it doesn't give us any answer about any exposure to this horse," Dr Young told reporters in Brisbane.

"It will only show whether they've ever been exposed to Hendra virus in the past through another horse. So we expect them all to be negative."

Dr Young said the virus can incubate for up to 21 days, and the nine will be retested.

"That test will tell us if the person has any result due to exposure to this horse, then we do a test at 42 days post initial exposure just to clear it.

"It's a very difficult time for them.

"No one at this point in time is showing any symptoms."

Most of the people tested don't live on the property.

Dr Young said a child was among those tested, but said it was not known whether the young were at greater risk.

"We know very little about this virus - the one thing we do know, is it is very hard to catch," she said.

Biosecurity Queensland has put the property under quarantine.

Chief veterinary officer Ron Glanville said it was hoped the virus had not spread to other horses.

"The infected horse hadn't been off the property this year," he said.

A second horse from the property is currently healthy.

Vet 'doing well'

A VET exposed to the deadly Hendra virus on the Sunshine Coast is 'doing well' after taking precautions before treating a horse which had to be put down.

Ben Poole, manager of the Cooroora Veterinary Clinic at Cooroy, said the vet who was exposed to virus was not showing any symptoms of the disease at this stage.

?He did everything he could to avoid being infected and is believed to be at a low risk of contracting Hendra,? Mr Poole said.

?It?s still very concerning because he was exposed and the virus incubation period is not over.

?Hendra is something we?re very vigilant about because we know it could pop up at any time, so our vet made a risk assessment and acted quickly to report his suspicions.?

The vet was due to start leave so is awaiting results with his family at home.

Up to seven people who may have been exposed to a Hendra-infected horse at Tewantin will have to wait weeks to find out if they are clear of the life-threatening virus.

Preliminary tests are expected today, however.

The sick horse was put down after the vet visited the affected property on Monday.

The horse, reported to be owned by a mother and daughter who kept the horse as a pet, was described as twitching, circling and wobbly.

A positive Hendra virus result was only confirmed yesterday.

Officers from Biosecurity Queensland and Queensland Health were on the property yesterday, talking to the owners and any other people who may have had contact with the horse.

It is the 41st horse to die from the illness, known to be carried by bats and passed on to horses through bodily fluids, since 1994.

Chief veterinary officer Dr Ron Glanville said up to seven people could have been in contact with the horse before it was put down on Monday.

He said the property owner noticed the horse's condition on Monday morning.

Dr Glanville said the vet, who was wearing protective equipment due to his suspicion of Hendra virus, examined the horse.

He said there was a bat colony in the area.

Another horse on the property had not shown any signs of the illness by last night.

Biosecurity officers have quarantined the property as a precautionary measure, with Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin saying the situation was being treated ?very seriously?.

?Officers from Biosecurity Queensland will be on the ground in Tewantin tomorrow with information about the Hendra virus," Mr Mulherin said.

Queensland Health Communicable Diseases Branch senior director Dr Christine Selvey said all people who were identified as having been in close contact with the horse, including the owners, would be offered free testing and counselling.

Dr Selvey said there had only been seven confirmed cases of Hendra virus in humans and it was important to note there had been no cases of transmission from human to human.

?Anybody who's potentially come in contact with Hendra virus would be worried.

?And I think it's, obviously, a very scary disease for anybody.?

Dr Selvey said symptoms in humans generally presented within five to 21 days of exposure to the virus.

Queensland Horse Council president Debbie Dekker said most people believed that the Hendra virus was seasonal, coinciding with the flying fox breeding season, from June to August.

?We are fearful people get complacent because they think the Hendra virus is seasonal but this is proof that this is not the case,? Ms Dekker said.

?The fact is we don't know what the stresses are to cause bats to shed the virus. It's circulating in bats at all times ? it can happen anytime.?

Four of seven people who have contracted the virus in Queensland have died.

Tewantin-Noosa Pony Club officials did not want to comment on the positive test last night.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Australia - Vet waits on Hendra virus results

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/22/2906604.htm?section=justin

Six cleared of deadly hendra virus


Initial tests have cleared six people who may have been exposed to the deadly hendra virus on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, while three others are still waiting for results.

A horse diagnosed with hendra was put down on a Tewantin property on Monday.

Nine people including a mother and daughter came into contact with the horse while it was sick.

Queensland Health says preliminary tests on six people showed no sign of the virus. Three more are awaiting their initial test results.

But all nine people will needed to be tested again in about three weeks.

Initial test results for the remaining horse on the quarantined property at Tewantin have also come back negative.

The horse will remain under quarantine until the incubation period has passed and all tests have returned negative.

Vaccine developed

Four people have died from the virus in the past 15 years, including vet Ben Cunneen, 33, who died in August 2008 while working at the Redlands Veterinary Clinic east of Brisbane.

Another outbreak at a Cawarral property near Rockhampton in central Queensland last August claimed the life of vet Dr Alister Rodgers, 55, and killed four horses.

Debbie Brown, the manager of the Cawarral stud, says a vaccine has been developed, but it cannot be tested until $50,000 has been raised.

"It's just such a shame that once again we have to try and raise the money ourselves," she said.

The Federal Opposition's agriculture spokesman, Senator John Cobb, says the Government should fund a vaccine.

"The Australian Veterinary Association and ourselves are calling upon the Federal Government to make sure another $600,000 is available for the CSIRO to produce a usable vaccine to stop horses transmitting this deadly virus to human beings," he said.

"Because it's not something which is sexy like breast cancer or something well-known, and because only four people have died in 15 years, it is not getting the funding it requires.

"When they can waste billions of dollars on dangerous home insulation schemes, surely they can find $600,000 to protect human life."

'Fear factor'

Queensland's chief vet Ron Glanville says this time of the year is the start of the risk period for hendra virus.

"The research we're doing now where we're basically collecting urine from flying fox colonies shows from now on is probably the highest risk period," he said.

"They're still rare events - I think the most number of cases we've ever had in any particular year is two."

Queensland Health and biosecurity officers will be attending a pony club event at Caloundra today to address public concerns over the latest outbreak.

Meanwhile, the Queensland Horse Council says hendra virus outbreaks are prompting vets to leave the industry.

Council president Debbie Dekker says the virus poses an ongoing concern.

"We find that vets are pulling out of equine business, people with mixed practices that used to do small animals and horses are pulling out of the equine side of it," she said.

"The minute you haven't got health practitioners to look after your animals, that spells a very tricky problem for the future of any industry."

Ms Dekker says the most recent outbreak will have a flow-on effect.

"It has a dramatic impact on the future of the industry because I mean it's a very, very dangerous virus," she said.

"Any time a horse is sick, it is a potentially fatal disease for humans so that brings the fear factor in."

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Australia - Vet waits on Hendra virus results

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/23/2906935.htm?site=sunshine&section=news

Passers-by tested for hendra after patting horse
Updated May 23, 2010 15:04:00

Queensland Health says two more people who have been tested for hendra virus patted an infected horse as they passed by a Sunshine Coast property.

The horse was put down last Monday on a property at Tewantin on the Sunshine Coast.

Nine people who had contact with the horse were given preliminary tests last week. Six were cleared on Friday.

Queensland Health's Dr Christine Selvey says two more people, who were not initially identified as having contact with the horse, have now come forward.

"The property is quite exposed to the road, and so passers-by can sometimes have an interaction with the horses on the property unbeknowst to anyone else," she said.

"So it's a good thing that because of all the media these people came forward themselves.

"I can say that their interaction we consider to be fairly low risk, but nevertheless, just to be 100 per cent sure and very, very cautious, they are going to be tested."

All of those exposed to the virus face further tests.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Australia - Vet waits on Hendra virus results

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/24/2908055.htm?section=justin

Initial tests clear 10 of hendra virus
Updated 1 hour 21 minutes ago

Queensland Health has confirmed 10 of the 11 people exposed to the hendra virus on the Sunshine Coast have shown no sign of the disease in initial testing.

Authorities are still waiting to test the 11th person, who is interstate.

A week ago a horse with the virus was put down on a property at Tewantin on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

The property owner noticed the horse's condition on Monday morning and a vet, wearing protective equipment due to his suspicion of hendra virus, examined the horse.

The natural host for hendra virus in Australia is the flying fox, but it is not clear how horses become infected.

Queensland Health says the group will need to be re-tested over the next five weeks.

To date, four people have died out of seven who contracted the virus in Queensland, including vet Dr Ben Cunneen, 33, who died in August 2008 while working at the Redlands Veterinary Clinic, east of Brisbane.

Another outbreak at a Cawarral property near Rockhampton in central Queensland in August last year also killed four horses and claimed the life of vet Dr Alister Rodgers.

Vaccine 'years away'

The Queensland Government says a hendra virus vaccine for horses could be five years away.

Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin says federal and state governments will each contribute $300,000 towards the development of the vaccine.

"We've also done a hell of a lot of work, particularly in community engagement, raising the awareness because a vaccine will be five years away," he said.

"We want to make sure that people are aware of this issue so education is part of the process."

CSIRO spokesman Dr Martyn Jeggo says the hendra virus is unlikely to mutate, so a vaccine would remain effective.

"These particular viruses are quite stable and there's no real evidence that they change in any dramatic form," he said.

"So we think that if we can produce a vaccine for this it will be one that will be stable over quite a number of years."

Dr Rodgers' widow Linda Rodgers says she is delighted government funding for a vaccine is finally available.

"I'm very excited, very happy to hear it, it's a huge relief," she said.

"We've been waiting a while for it - well longer than we would have liked - but the main thing is that it's here.

"We've got to think positive and see the money used and get on with it."

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Australia - Vet waits on Hendra virus results

Hendra all-clear given to 12 people


July 21, 2010

by Neil Clarkson

Twelve people potentially exposed to the deadly hendra virus following a case in a horse on Queensland's Sunshine Coast have been given the all-clear.
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>These include the horse's owner, Rebecca Day, and her daughter, Mollie, 12, who were considered most at risk.
The pair agreed to take an experimental monoclonal antibody treatment which its United States developers believed may reduce the risk of contracting the infection following exposure.
The other 10 were not offered the drug as their exposure to the infected horse, at Tewantin, in mid-May, was considered less risky and their chances of contracting the disease therefore lower.
Queensland Health announced this week that all 12 people have been cleared in the third and final round of testing.
"All 12 received preliminary baseline testing after the incident and tested negative in a second round of testing three weeks after that," chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said.
"Now we are pleased that all 12 have been cleared in the final round of testing that has occurred around six weeks after the exposure, including a mother and daughter who received a moderate to high level of exposure to the virus."
Last week, the Queensland Government announced a $A300,000 grant for the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland to locally produce the monoclonal antibody for use as an experimental Hendra virus treatment.
Initially called equine morbillivirus, the Hendra virus was isolated in 1994 during an outbreak of respiratory and nervous system disease in horses and humans at Hendra in Brisbane.
The natural host for the Hendra virus is the fruit bat (flying fox).
It is not clear how horses become infected, but it may be from eating food contaminated by bat urine, saliva or birthing by-products.
While Hendra virus does not appear to be particularly contagious, humans and horses are susceptible to the disease. All human infections have occurred following direct exposure to tissues and secretions from infected or dead horses.
There is no evidence of bat-to-human, or human-to-human transmission, and that includes people who handle bats. There is no evidence that the virus is 'mutating' to become more virulent.
Queensland Health warns that anyone involved with horses must take simple precautions to avoid Hendra virus infection, such as not placing horse feed and water troughs under trees where bats may feed or roost. Horses with the virus typically develop an acute respiratory or neurological syndrome, which can quickly lead to death. :tiphat:http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2010/07/130.shtml