Hendra Virus in Australia

[Gert van der Hoek]

Archive Number 20070830.2851
Published Date 30-AUG-2007
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Hendra virus, human, equine - Australia (QLD): RFI



HENDRA VIRUS, HUMAN, EQUINE - AUSTRALIA (QUEENSLAND): REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
*******************************************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: 27 Aug 2007
[ProMED regrets the delay in posting, due to multiple human -- not
technical -- errors. - Mod.J

From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: The Horse Article # 10269 [edited]
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=10269


Hendra Virus Infects Australian Veterinarian
----------------------------------------------------
A Thoroughbred veterinarian infected by the killer Hendra virus was
admitted to a hospital in Queensland 27 Aug 2007. The vet contracted
the virus after performing an autopsy on a Thoroughbred in his clinic
last week.

There are reportedly 2 known current cases of Hendra in the
Thoroughbred population in Queensland.

While believed unrelated to the equine influenza (EI) currently
sweeping Australia, an outbreak of Hendra virus has even greater
personal ramifications for humans. Whereas EI cannot kill humans,
Hendra can and has -- trainer Vic Rail was killed by Hendra in 1991.

In June 2006, the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) urged horse
owners in southeast Queensland to keep feed and water under cover and
to stable horses overnight where possible, following the
identification of Hendra virus in a horse on the Sunshine Coast.

An AVA spokesperson at the time said the disease is not highly
contagious, and that the public health risk from the disease is
limited to those who have exposure to [infected] horses' body fluids.
They noted the disease is rare and sporadic. However, the disease can
be transmitted to humans.

Hendra virus causes symptoms of respiratory illness in horses,
including respiratory distress, frothy nasal discharge, and elevated
body temperature and heart rate. Horse owners are urged to stable
horses at night and to call a veterinarian as soon as possible if
they symptoms appear.

It is believed fruit bats are the natural host of the virus, formerly
known as equine morbillivirus. The virus can be lethal when
transmitted to humans and horses.

[Byline: Ric Chapman]
--
Commincated by:
ProMED-mail
promed@promedmail.org

[A map of Queensland is available at
http://www.supertravelnet.com/maps/?action=selmap&country=108_9004_5&language=1.

Hendra first appeared as a deadly horse and human pathogen in 1994 --
see ProMED archive below. The reservoir is thought to be fruit bats
of the genus _Pteropus_., which also carry the related and frequently
fatal Nipah virus to pigs and through them to humans in East
Asia. Nipah virus is thought to be transmitted tby the bats
competing with the pigs for ripe fruit such as mango that has fallen
into open pig pens. The pigs develop a strong cough that transmits
the virus from them to the farm hands who feed them.

Has anyone seen fruit bats feeding in horse troughs, or sharing water
troughs with horses, in Australia? - Mod.JW]


http://www.promedmail.org/pls/askus..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,39064


More information on Hendra virus: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/nipah.htm

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Seven monitored for Hendra virus in Qld

July 16, 2008

Queensland Health is monitoring seven people in north Queensland following a second outbreak of the potentially deadly Hendra virus.

A spokesman on Wednesday afternoon confirmed the department was monitoring the people at Proserpine after a horse at nearby Cannonvale died from the virus on the weekend.

They have been allowed to remain in their homes, he said.

It comes just a day after the department announced a man had tested positive for the potentially fatal disease following an outbreak among horses at a veterinary clinic at Brisbane's bayside.

He is one of more than 20 staff at the Redlands Veterinary Clinic where three horses were infected with the virus last week.

One horse died and another was put down. A third is recovering.

However, 37 other horses at the facility have been cleared of the virus in preliminary tests.

Queensland Health on Tuesday said the man had been discharged from hospital and was under medical surveillance.

Redlands Veterinary Clinic owner David Lovell said there was no cause for alarm as human infections occur from direct exposure to tissues and secretions from infected horses.

However, he said the man was concerned about his infection after initial blood tests showed he was OK.

"I spoke to him yesterday and he was upbeat but when I spoke to him this morning he was concerned," he said.

"When you have more time to think about things you do worry. He is very concerned.

"But he is certainly coping and is able to perform normal tasks around the house."

The man had initially tested negative, he said.

"This particular person developed symptoms over the weekend and told Queensland Health which took samples that returned positive," Mr Lovell said.

Brisbane Southside Population Health Unit medical officer Dr Brad McCall said symptoms of Hendra were generally flu-like, including headaches, high fever and drowsiness.

He said the incubation period was up to 14 days which was why up to 50 people originally sampled, including clinic staff and horse owners, would undergo a second test next week.

However, he said the risk of human to human spread of the virus was minimal.

The Hendra virus is believed to be carried by fruit bats.

Up to 70 per cent of horses which contract the virus from bats die and it is potentially fatal when transferred to humans.

Two humans have died from the virus since the first known case in 1994.

http://news.smh.com.au/national/seven-monitored-for-hendra-virus-in-qld-20080716-3fs2.html

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

[SIZE=+1]ABC Online[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]PM - Potentially deadly Hendra virus raises its head again[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1][This is the print version of story http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2306944.htm][/SIZE]

PM - Thursday, 17 July , 2008 18:35:00

Reporter: Annie Guest

BRENDAN TREMBATH: In Queensland, there's fresh concern about an outbreak of the potentially deadly Hendra virus.

The condition of a horse-handler infected with the disease has deteriorated, and he's back in hospital.

He was working at a Brisbane veterinary clinic where two infected horses died last week.

Twenty-four other staff are being monitored for the disease. Hendra virus takes its name from the Brisbane suburb in which the first outbreak occurred in 1994.

The prominent horse trainer Vic Rail became ill and died. Experts say the illness remains difficult to treat.

Annie Guest reports from Brisbane.

ANNIE GUEST: Relief has turned to concern for colleagues of a man infected Hendra virus.

DAVID LOVELL: Unfortunately his condition has taken a turn for the worse as he's had to be readmitted to hospital, which is very, very disturbing distressing for us here.

ANNIE GUEST: David Lovell owns the Redlands Veterinary Clinic on Brisbane's Bayside, where the outbreak was identified last week.

There the disease has killed two horses, infected one man, believed to be a vet and potentially infected 24 other people.

DAVID LOVELL: Where we were reasonably happy or relieved that the Tuesday medical staff that were dealing with him had seen fit to judge him as being fit to send home we took that as a very optimistic sign. But unfortunately the next day it appears that he had deteriorated.

ANNIE GUEST: He's been readmitted to hospital, where Queensland Health says he is under close medical observation. A spokeswoman says he has flu-like symptoms but is otherwise well.

It's the fourth known human case of Hendra virus, which is a disease that strikes fear into the horse industry.

It's named after the Brisbane suburb where it was first identified when it infected a stable of thoroughbred racehorses and killed trainer Vic Rail in 1994. A stablehand contracted the disease and survived.

A horse owner in north Queensland died of the disease the same year. Hendra virus affects the respiratory and neurological systems.

Back at the Redlands Veterinary Clinic, David Lovell is overseeing a tightly controlled operation.

DAVID LOVELL: We are in strict lockdown and we only have minimum staff and minimum dealing with the horses that we have under quarantine here and they are working under very, very strict hygiene and biosecurity measures.

ANNIE GUEST: The latest results from tests on the horses are expected later today.

And so far the 24 other staff potentially exposed to Hendra virus are free of the disease.

DAVID LOVELL: We're all very concerned and no-one is taking the issue lightly. But what is known about the character of the disease, I think the longest known incubation period in the trials with animals was 11 days and today I think we're 9 days from when the last clinical case was active.

So, we sort of start to get a little bit more optimistic that as time goes by the chances of someone else becoming afflicted has got to be starting to get a lot less.

ANNIE GUEST: And concern about the latest outbreak of Hendra virus is not limited to Brisbane's Bayside.

Another horse died of the illness last Friday in north Queensland. Any connection between has yet to be established. The property where the horse died in Mackay also remains under quarantine. Seven people have been tested and so far cleared of the disease.

Another horse had died there two weeks earlier, but there's no plan to exhume its body and test for Hendra virus.

Meanwhile, the Australian Medical Association's infectious diseases spokesman, Dr Michael Whitby says Hendra virus is passed from bats to horses to humans.

MICHAEL WHITBY: Well it can present in a number of ways. It can present simply as a respiratory, flu-like illness, or in some cases it can go and affect the brain and produce what is called encephalitis.

ANNIE GUEST: Can you tell us about the treatment for Hendra virus?

MICHAEL WHITBY: The treatments that are used are usually anti-viral agents and steroids to reduce swelling.

ANNIE GUEST: And how effective have they been known to be in the cases that have been treated?

MICHAEL WHITBY: In one case they weren't effective but in the other cases the patients survived. I think the answer is we really don't know whether they're effective or not.

ANNIE GUEST: Why is it so hard to treat this disease?

MICHAEL WHITBY: Well it's not a matter of whether it's hard to treat the disease. I think the problem is with all viral infections we don't have the same range of drugs as we do with bacterial infections. And secondly there's been a very small number of cases.

So, it's not something we have a wealth of experience and therefore have expert knowledge to talk about.

BRENDAN TREMBATH: Infectious diseases doctor, Michael Whitby ending that report from Annie Guest.

 

[Commonground]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Second victim admitted with Hendra virus
July 19, 2008

THE next month will be an anxious time for 50 people in southeast Queensland who are to be tested for the potentially fatal Hendra virus after a second person was admitted to hospital with the disease.

The Hendra virus, named after a suburb of Brisbane that contains racing stables, can be transmitted from horses to humans, and was responsible for the death of horse trainer Vic Rail in 1994.

An outbreak of Hendra virus was detected last week at the Redlands Veterinary Clinic, where three horses died as a result of the virus and one had to be put down. A man associated with the clinic was confirmed on Tuesday to have had the virus, and on Thursday a woman was admitted to the Princess Alexandra Hospital for observation.

Clinic owner David Lovell said the disease generally presents in people as flu-like symptoms, although testing is more advanced and Hendra disease can now be readily identified.

"It's personally just devastating for us," said Dr Lovell.

"I feel responsible for the health of my staff, and something like this happens."

The clinic has eight vets on staff plus another 20 ancillary staff, and Queensland Health medical officer Brad McCall said all would be tested, plus anyone outside the clinic who had close association with the horses there. He said a program of initial testing was under way and would be followed by a second round of testing about a fortnight later.

While it is still unknown how the virus got on to the property on Brisbane's bayside, Dr Lovell said it was most likely "because we had the bad luck to have a flying fox land on our property".

It was possible the flying fox, possibly through urinating, had infected the horses' feed; that then entered the horses, and was later passed on to the two people.

"Just why a flying fox would put down here I don't know, because we don't have any fruit trees or anything sweet-smelling," he said. "But we do undertake a variety of invasive procedures with horses, and it's highly likely that during a procedure like that it was spread to the staff members.

"But it would have been transferred through some artificial direct transfer. You don't just get it by being in the next stall to a horse or close proximity."

Dr McCall said the man and woman were under close observation in hospital and both "remained well".

"It's important to remember that the Hendra virus is rare in horses and humans," he said.

"In any outbreaks of this disease, there has been no evidence of person-to-person transmission of the Hendra virus. There is no risk to the wider community."

Dr McCall said that at the time of Rail's death, a wide variety of tests had been undertaken "and found it couldn't be spread from person to person".

There has also been a smaller outbreak of the disease in North Queensland, where Queensland Health is monitoring seven people in Proserpine after a horse died last week as a result of the Hendra virus.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24043006-23289,00.html

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Hendra virus strikes again and baffles experts

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<!-- // .article-tools -->By Robyn Ironside
July 19, 2008 12:00am

<!-- Split page --><!-- Lead Content Panel -->HEALTH authorities are baffled by the spread of a potentially deadly Hendra virus after a second veterinary worker was infected with the disease.
A senior nurse from Redlands Veterinary Clinic has joined vet Ben Cunneen in hospital after her health deteriorated and test results confirmed she had Hendra virus.

Clinic owner David Lovell said another eight people who worked closely with three infected horses were now very concerned that they could be incubating the bug.

"It's devastating. We started to feel it was going to be over and then to have another person succumb is very, very worrying," he said.

The incubation period for human cases is thought to be up to 14 days, meaning staff will not be in the clear until next Tuesday when they will be tested again.

"If those second tests are negative than everyone can be fairly optimistic," Dr Lovell said.

Mr Cunneen's symptoms were flu-like, while the vet nurse's symptoms were fever, malaise and drowsiness.

The human cases of the virus followed the deaths of two horses at the clinic and the infection of a third.

A second outbreak has been reported near Proserpine with seven people anxiously awaiting test results

Biosecurity Queensland's chief veterinary officer Dr Ron Glanville said little was known about the rare virus except that it was carried by fruit bats. But he said there was no data on how it was transmitted to horses or how it was spread from horse to horse.

"One of the possibilities is that if a bat births in a paddock where a horse is, that material can end up on the ground," Dr Glanville said."

Adding to the intrigue, are the claims of a Jimboomba horse owner who said her mare died at the Redlands clinic of symptoms strikingly similar to those infected with Hendra virus but was never tested.

The woman, who only wanted to be known as Kandice, said her horse Casemma could have been infected on her Cedar Grove property before she was admitted to the clinic.

"It makes sense. We've got bats on the property," she said.

Despite the mare's mysterious death from symptoms including a high temperature, blindness and seizures, an autopsy was not undertaken.

Kandice said she did not know that three other horses at the clinic had been confirmed with Hendra virus until the DPI called a couple of weeks ago asking how she was feeling.

"I was very upset when I heard and very concerned. We'd had a lot of people coming through the property having contact with the horse and it was in a paddock with my children's pony."

But Dr Glanville said they were fairly confident the mare was not the virus source.

"We tested the companions of that horse, and they came up negative," he said.

Thirty-seven horses remain quarantined at the Redlands clinic but initial tests have come back clear for the Hendra virus.

Dr Lovell said the outbreak had undoubtedly damaged his practice and cost him at least $50,000 in lost earnings.

"I think we're in real trouble," he said.

Information about how the virus is passed from horse to human is just as flimsy but Dr Glanville said they did know Hendra virus could not be passed from bats to humans.

"All human cases have had close contact with an infected horse and there have been no cases of human to human transmission," he said.

It is still a mystery why the virus has to infect a horse before it can infect humans.

Just as frustrated by the lack of information is Cannonvale veterinarian Mark Williams who conducted an autopsy on a horse confirmed with Hendra virus late last week.

He was one of seven people to undergo blood tests following the positive reading but late yesterday still had not heard from Queensland Health.

"The blood tests were done on Tuesday, I was hoping to have heard by now. You'd think they would treat something like this with a bit of urgency," Dr Williams said.

The Department of Primary Industries confirmed the strain of the virus responsible for the Cannonvale case was not the one which killed the Redlands horses. Dr Williams added: "I gather they know nothing more which is part of the frustration." :tiphat: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24041581-952,00.html

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

More Hendra virus tests planned

17:18 AEST Mon Jul 21 2008
ago


By Petrina Berry

| FLOCKS: 0
|

0 comments so far



A final round of tests for the potentially deadly Hendra virus will begin on Tuesday as up to 50 people anxiously wait to be given the all-clear.
Queensland Health will take a second blood sample from staff at a Brisbane bayside veterinary clinic and from people who came into contact with three horses which tested positive to the virus two weeks ago.
One horse was put down and another died, while a third has recovered.
Veterinarian Ben Cunneen and a nurse at the Redlands Veterinary Clinic fell ill with the virus last week after treating the infected horses.
Authorities say it takes 14 days for the virus to incubate and a negative testing after this period would clear individuals of the potential of contracting the virus.
The Hendra virus is known to be transmitted from fruit bats to horses and from horses to humans.
But there has been no human to human transmission of the virus.
Horses being held in quarantine at the clinic would be retested on Wednesday.
Initial tests were taken a fortnight ago and returned negative for all 37 horses.
Clinic owner Dr David Lovell said staff were anxious for the retest and to finally put the matter behind them.
"No one else has been showing clinical signs of the virus," Dr Lovell said.
"So I'm hopeful we'll all test negative.
"If we do get the all clear then I suspect the practice can resume some time next week."
Meanwhile, Dr Lovell is leasing a vacant clinic near Beaudesert to generate work for staff.
"We don't have any new work so it's just maintenance. We had to cut back to a skeleton roster and tried to share it around among them all," he said.
"A couple have taken some leave, but all of them are getting to the point where they need a normal income but when we don't have work coming in then there's nothing for them."
He estimated the loss in business to cost about $200,000 by the end of the month.
The clinic was quarantined on July 8.
Seven people have also been tested for the virus at Cannonvale, near Proserpine in north Queensland, where a horse died of the virus late last week.
Authorities have said there was no link between the two outbreaks.
Trainer Vic Rail and 14 horses died from the virus during the last major outbreak in 1994.:tiphat: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=601134

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

[Scaremongers?]

Could killer horse virus spread amongst humans?
13:56 22 July 2008
NewScientist.com news service
Rachel Nowak

Australia is suffering the biggest outbreak of the highly virulent Hendra virus since the disease was identified in 1994.

Now a change in its symptoms in Queensland horses is raising fears that new strains may have emerged ? and even that a strain capable of spreading from human-to-human could appear.

"The different clinical presentations, and some very preliminary [DNA] sequencing data, suggest that the Hendra virus may be somewhat different in this outbreak," says epidemiologist Hume Field of the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases in Brisbane.

"It all suggests that there may be a cluster of Hendra virus strains, all closely related, but differing in their pathogenesis and infectivity," he says.

Two people, both veterinary clinic staff, who became infected roughly four weeks ago, remain in hospital. Fifty more people who may have had contact with horses carrying the virus will undergo a second set of tests over the next few days.

Delayed diagnosis
At least seven horses have become infected with the virus, and five have died.

Thirty-six horses will be tested for a second time tomorrow, and over 90 horses have been tested since the start of the outbreak, says chief veterinary officer Ron Glanville of Biosecurity Queensland in Brisbane.

The classic symptom of Hendra virus infection in a horse is severely laboured breathing, sometimes with a frothy nasal discharge and a swollen muzzle.

The animals often deteriorate rapidly, and die with in days. But in the current outbreak the horses have mainly suffered from neurological symptoms such as paralysis and loss of balance. "One owner said the horse appeared drunk," says Glanville.

The change in the clinical symptoms has delayed diagnosis and enabled the disease to spread more widely in the current outbreak.

Fruit-bat reservoir
The natural reservoir for the Hendra virus is the fruit bat, which carries the virus without becoming sick, but it remains unclear how the virus "spills over" to horses.

"We are trying to understand why spill over occurs in some years, and not others," says Field. "That way we can manage the risk better, and prevent Hendra virus becoming an established disease of livestock or humans."

Hendra virus was first identified in 1994, when 14 horses and one person, a horse trainer, died in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra. A second person was infected, but recovered.

In an outbreak that occurred a few weeks before the index case, and was later recognised as Hendra, two horses died, as did their owner ? some 13 months after being infected with the deadly virus.

But every subsequent outbreak until now has been contained, with the virus infecting one horse each time. In one of those outbreaks one person was also infected, but survived.

Symptoms in humans have included a flu-like illness, which can progress to pneumonia; headache, high fever, and drowsiness, which can progress to convulsions or coma.

The Hendra virus has not been identified outside of Australia.
-
http://www.newscientist.com/channel...-amongst-humans.html?feedId=online-news_rss20
-------

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Hendra virus could be mutating, say experts

Robyn Ironside and Rosemary Odgers

August 22, 2008

AS a popular horse vet is mourned, there are warnings that the deadly Hendra virus could be mutating, sparking fears of more frequent outbreaks within Queensland.

Veterinarian Ben Cunneen died of the virus on Wednesday night, more than five weeks after he was admitted to Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital.

The 33-year-old contracted a never-before-seen form of Hendra virus while examining a dead horse at the Redlands Veterinary Clinic, which is under quarantine.

A vet nurse who also tested positive to the virus has been discharged from hospital but continues to be monitored.

The Opposition called for a wider inquiry amid claims authorities had been too slow to warn of, and contain, the outbreak.

"The notification to other vets about the outbreak should have been more timely and accurate," Liberal National Party spokesman Mike Horan said.

Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin last night said that his department's emergency response to the case would be independently reviewed, and virus research expanded.

Redlands Veterinary Clinic owner David Lovell yesterday said his staff were devastated by the death of their colleague, who started at Redlands as a University of Sydney graduate.

"I don't think there's anyone in the whole team who would have a bad word to say about him," Dr Lovell said.

"He was easygoing, obliging, would never shirk what he had to do," he said.

But Dr Lovell warned more cases were likely because the virus was mutating.

"Since 1994, there's been a bit of an increasing incidence.

"Every year we seem to be having one, two or three outbreaks so the disturbing thing for me is does that mean it's increasing in the flying fox population?"

Australian Veterinary Association president Mark Lawrie echoed those concerns, saying 75 per cent of emergent diseases were animal borne such as HIV, Ebola and Nipah virus.

"As a result of climate change and environmental degradation, we're seeing wild animals brought into closer contact with domestic animals and humans and that will increase the spread of these diseases," he said.

Dr Cunneen is the third person to have died in Australia from the virus, which has also claimed the lives of several horses.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24220343-952,00.html

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Summary:

- snip -

Hendra virus, named after a northside Brisbane suburb where it was first discovered in 1994, is transmitted from bats to horses and then to humans who develop flu-like symptoms, drowsiness and balance problems.

There has been no human-to-human transmission but Queensland authorities have admitted to knowing little about the deadly virus.

Biosecurity Queensland chief veterinary officer Ron Glanville said despite much research in last 14 years there was still no vaccine and no cure.

"We are currently involved internationally in a $1.5 million program just in the last 12 months, collaborating with international researchers," Dr Glanville said.

He said initial work had been completed at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong, Victoria, on the development of a vaccine.

"Basic research has been done but as you would probably realise it takes quite a number of years to develop a vaccine against any new disease," he said.

Queensland Health's chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said there had been only six confirmed cases of the virus in humans.

"So there's not a lot there to go on in terms of the natural progression of the disease," Dr Young said.

But the length of the victims' exposure to the disease appeared to be a factor.

"After six cases, it's very, very hard to know what the cause is ... but there needs to be significant exposure and only people who've had close relationships with horses have been sick or have died," Dr Young said.

- snip -

http://www.racingandsports.com.au/r...659&story=Brisbane_vet_dies_from_Hendra_virus

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24242259-23289,00.html


Dogs and cats can carry Hendra virus, CSIRO reveals
Natasha Bita | August 26, 2008

CATS and dogs can carry the deadly bat-borne Hendra virus, a CSIRO scientist has revealed.

Bruce Mungall, a research scientist at the CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong, said cats were "very susceptible" to the virus that killed Brisbane vet Ben Cunneen last week.

"They're what we would call a dead-end host because if a cat becomes infected, there's a good chance it would die," he said yesterday.

"Dogs are a possibility as well. Nothing can be ruled in or out at this stage."

Queensland's chief vet, Ron Glanville, has told The Australian a cat at the veterinary stables where Dr Cunneen worked had tested negative to the virus last month.

Yesterday, he ruled out a cull of fruit bats to prevent further outbreaks of Hendra virus. Bats were a protected species and an important part of the ecosystem.

"Bats are the natural reservoir of Hendra virus, there's no doubt about it," he said. "But it doesn't make sense to control the population because they are so widespread. What we really need to do is develop strategies to prevent the virus spreading from bats to horses."

More than 100 people attended Dr Cunneen's memorial service yesterday, ahead of a funeral in Sydney on Friday.

Dr Cunneen, 33, had worked at the Redlands Veterinary Clinic in Brisbane's bayside, where five horses contracted the virus in July. A seven-week quarantine of the clinic was lifted yesterday after the Department of Primary Industries cleared the remaining 35 horses.

The clinic's owner, David Lovell, delivered a eulogy at Dr Cunneen's church service, along with Dr Cunneen's father, Denis, and colleague Julian Nalliah. "No one left without a very firm idea about what a great bloke Ben was," Dr Lovell said.

"He touched a lot of people."

Dr Cunneen is the third person to have died from the virus, discovered in 1994 after horse trainer Vic Rail and 14 horses died in the Brisbane racecourse suburb of Hendra.

A nurse who worked with him is recovering at home, after five weeks in hospital.

Dr Glanville yesterday said the DPI was likely to euthanise a horse that survived a separate outbreak of Hendra virus in Proserpine last month.

Dr Mungall said the Hendra virus was "quite tough" and could survive for days in liquid such as urine. "One of the things (horse owners) need to be doing is disinfecting everything around the horses, including all surfaces where liquid may settle," he said.

Dr Mungall said he did not think bats could spread Hendra virus directly to humans.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24271851-5006786,00.html


New guidelines for Hendra virus
Natasha Bita | September 01, 2008

OWNERS of sick horses have been warned against touching their blood, saliva or urine in the first official guidelines to guard against the lethal Hendra virus.

The advice, issued by Queensland's Department of Primary Industries, coincides with the CSIRO describing the virus yesterday as "an unmanaged emerging disease risk".

"The fact we're still getting vets infected 15 years after the disease was discovered means we are not managing the exposure risk effectively, it's clear," Deborah Middleton, who heads the CSIRO's animal biosecurity team, told The Australian.

"It is possible the virus might be shed (and infect people) before an animal starts to show signs of disease."

Brisbane vet Ben Cunneen, 33, died last month after contracting Hendra virus at the Redlands Veterinary Clinic where he worked. He became only the third person in the world to die of the disease.

Four horses died at the clinic, and a fifth - a $200,000 racehorse named Tamworth - was destroyed after recovering.

The DPI is preparing to put down another surviving horse at Proserpine, where the virus broke out in July.

The new DPI guidelines caution against feeding horses sweet food such as fruit, carrots or molasses that might attract fruit bats.

Bats - a protected species vital to pollinating native trees - are being blamed for spreading the virus, named after the Brisbane racing suburb of Hendra where it was discovered in 1994.

Describing Hendra virus as "one of the world's rarest diseases", the DPI document sets out a list of possible symptoms in horses, including fever, facial swelling, breathing difficulties, loss of balance or sight, and muscle twitching.

Noting that some cases had been misdiagnosed as colic, it urges horse owners to contact the DPI's biosecurity section if they suspect infection.

Hendra virus "should be considered where there is a rapid onset of illness, fever and rapid progression to death associated with either respiratory or neurological signs", the DPI says.

"It appears that (Hendra virus) has the potential to spread to other horses either through direct contact with infectious body fluids, or through indirect contact with contaminated equipment."

The Queensland Veterinary Board is investigating two complaints concerning hygiene at the Redlands clinic, which is owned by board member David Lovell.

Mr Lovell, who has agreed to step aside during the inquiries, insists that his clinic meets industry standards.

The Queensland Government has ordered an independent review of the DPI's response to the latest outbreak.

The DPI's new guidelines urge horse owners not to let farriers work on sick animals. Halters, lead ropes, twitches and other gear exposed to any body fluid of a horse should be cleaned and disinfected before reuse.

"If in contact with sick horses, shower with soap and shampoo and dress in clean clothes and footwear before handling other horses," the document states.

Horses should be taken out of paddocks where flying foxes flock to flowering trees.

"If that is not possible, try to temporarily remove your horses during times of peak flying fox activity, usually at dusk and during the night," it says.

Feed and water containers should be kept under cover and away from trees.

 

[Commonground]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Australia, Hendra Virus: Humans at risk from virus

December 04, 2008 03:30pm

<!-- Split page --> <!-- Lead Content Panel --> AN independent Queensland review has warned that humans are in danger of being infected by horses carrying the Hendra virus.
Vets, in particular, should take extra precautions for even the simplest of procedures to prevent the spread of the Hendra virus, an expert has found.
Veterinary expert Dr Nigel Perkins, who conducted an independent review into the handling of two Hendra outbreaks in Queensland, found the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) managed the outbreak appropriately.
Dr Perkins said it was known people exposed to horses which were sick with the virus or had died from the virus could contract the disease.
But he said he had found people working with apparently healthy horses that were incubating the virus can also be infected.
"This changes the way one might think about interacting with horses," Dr Perkins said.


"I think that is enormously regrettable. I have horses, have ridden all my life, I have children who ride and from a personal perspective that information is concerning."peDr Perkins, whose findings were released in state parliament on Thursday, said he did not want to alarm horse owners and riders but they should be aware of the risks.
But he said it was veterinarians who needed to take more precautions even when doing simple tasks such as nose swabs.
"If one is performing procedures that involves exposure to bodily fluids that could be infectious than one needs to take extra protection," Dr Perkins said.
"The simplest form of protection is wearing gloves, impervious cover-alls that could be simple disposable coveralls, particularly if an individual has scratches and abrasions, and a face mask and some form of eye protection that could be glasses or a face shield."
The Hendra virus was discovered at the Redlands Veterinary Clinic on Brisbane's bayside in June, killing vet Ben Cunneen and causing a nurse to spend weeks in hospital.
Five horses either died or were euthanased and another three horses were put down in a separate outbreak in north Queensland in August.
Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin said the department would work with Queensland Health and industry bodies on building awareness.
The Hendra virus is believed to be transmitted by flying foxes to horses and from horses to humans.
There has been no human to human transmission.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/31/2531455.htm

Scientists find Hendra virus vaccine
Updated 1 hour 54 minutes ago

CSIRO researchers say they have developed a vaccination for horses against the deadly Hendra virus, which killed a Brisbane vet last year.

Dr Deborah Middleton says the breakthrough can prevent future Hendra outbreaks.

Vet Ben Cunneen and five horses died during the outbreak at the Redlands Vet Clinic last August.

"Both owners and vets will be able to protect themselves from infection," she said.

"The key to controlling the infection in people is controlling the infection in horses."

Dr Middleton says the CSIRO has identified the symptoms of the Hendra virus, which is thought to spread from flying foxes to horses.

"The very early signs include fever, restlessness. There may be a bit of a loss of appetite."

She says research has also pinpointed the time when the virus is most likely to spread from horses to humans.

"In fact, it's probably when the horse is most close to death."

Dr Middleton says vaccinations for horses are being tested.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Source: http://www.theage.com.au/national/vet-dead-from-hendra-virus-20090902-f7e8.html

Vet dead from Hendra virus
CHRISTINE KELLETT
September 2, 2009 - 9:02AM

A Rockhampton vet has died from Hendra virus in a Brisbane hospital.

Dr Alister Rodgers, who contracted Hendra from an infected horse at a Cawarral horse stud in central Queensland, had been gravely ill in the Princess Alexandra Hospital but passed away, a hospital spokeswoman told brisbanetimes.com.au.

It is believed he died yesterday afteroon, however no further details were immediately available, the spokeswoman said.

He is the second vet and fourth Queenslander to die from the virus, after Redlands veterinarian and horse specialist Dr Ben Cunneen passed away following an outbreak of Hendra in August last year.

His widow, Gill Cunneen, was floored by the news and had been planning to contact Dr Rodgers' family.

"That's terrible, that's just terrible," she told brisbanetimes.com.au this morning.

"I was just thinking of him this morning and I actually thought of writing to the family because I am the only person who can say to them I understand exactly how you feel."

Dr Rodgers and several stud workers from the J4S Equine Nursery near Rockhampton were flown to the Princess Alexandra Hospital late last month after three horses died at the property.

One, first believed to have suffered a snake bite, was confirmed to be carrying Hendra.

It is understood Dr Rodgers had treated the dying horse and came into direct contact with its blood.

Little is known about the Hendra virus, which is spread by bats.

Dr Rodgers had spent more than a week in intensive care, surrounded by family members Linda, Courtney and Duncan.

They have never spoken publicly, but last week released a statement thanking the community for their support.

"We wish to express our immense gratitude to every person who has supported Alister and our family during his illness. Alister would be deeply touched," the wrote.

More to come...

- with Marissa Calligeros and Daniel Hurst

Source: brisbanetimes.com.au

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Source: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26040455-3102,00.html

Hendra virus researchers lose federal funding
Janelle Miles

September 08, 2009 12:00am

A BRISBANE-based research body which has been studying Hendra virus has been stripped of its federal funding despite the disease claiming four lives.

The Australian Biosecurity Co-operative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Disease had asked for $42 million in funding over six years but was knocked back by the Federal Government's Innovation Department. It will close next year.

A decision to cease the centre's funding was announced on August 7, just three days before a horse on a property at Cawarral, near Rockhampton, tested positive to Hendra, triggering the latest outbreak of the virus.

The centre's chief executive Stephen Prowse said researchers had been studying interactions between flying foxes and horses to work out how horses contract the virus from bats.

"Unless there's alternative funding sources, the work will slow or stop," Professor Prowse said.

The centre was launched in 2003 by then science minister Peter McGauran to develop new capabilities to detect, assess and respond to emerging infectious disease threats of animals and humans.

But Prof Prowse said a proposal for re-funding the centre until 2016 had been judged "to be not competitive".

"The proposal was much bigger than just Hendra virus. It covered other things," he said. "In terms of research, it's not a huge amount of money. Clearly, it's very disappointing. It would be very unfortunate if the work that we've done isn't able to be sustained."

Queensland Opposition health spokesman Mark McArdle described the decision as "a recipe for disaster".

Australian Veterinary Association president Mark Lawrie called on the Federal Government to reconsider funding, given the latest Hendra outbreak had killed vet Alister Rodgers, 55.

Federal Innovation Minister Kim Carr said the decision to end the centre's funding was made by an independent, expert panel. He said the CSIRO would still research Hendra when the centre closed.

"CSIRO estimates that its total annual expenditure on research into bat-borne diseases, including Hendra, is approximately $2 million per annum," Senator Carr said.

"The Government recognises there is still much to learn about the Hendra virus. That is why the Australian Government . . . continues to invest heavily in research on the mitigation of new and emerging diseases, including the Hendra virus."

A service will be held for Dr Rodgers at St Paul's Anglican Cathedral in Rockhampton on Thursday, 10.30am.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26048407-5006786,00.html


Tests reveal latest Hendra outbreak in Bowen
Natasha Bita | September 09, 2009
Article from: The Australian

A NEW outbreak of the lethal Hendra virus has triggered the quarantine of a property outside Bowen in North Queensland today.
Biosecurity Queensland said a private vet had reported a suspect case after treating a sick horse on the property last week.

The horse was put down last Thursday, and test results last night showed it had been infected with the bat-borne virus.

Rockhampton vet Alister Rodgers died last week after catching the disease from a dying horse he had diagnosed with snakebite.

The Bowen outbreak is the 13th since the virus was first detected in the Brisbane racetrack suburb of Hendra 15 years ago.

The J4S horse stud outside Rockhampton remains in quarantine following the outbreak that killed Dr Rodgers.

Four people who work on the property, as well as two other vets who treated sick horses there, face ongoing tests for the virus.

Queensland's deputy chief veterinary officer, Rick Symons, today said the vet who treated the case in Bowen had been wearing "appropriate protective clothing''.

"Following the recent tragic events surrounding the Hendra outbreak at Cawarral near Rockhampton, there is a greater awareness amongst vets and horse owners of the risks associated with Hendra Virus,'' he said.

"We encourage vets, horse owners and the community to be vigilant and report any suspected cases of Hendra virus to Biosecurity Queensland and most importantly, to take appropriate precautions when handling any sick horse.''

Hendra virus is carried by bats but has not been known to infect humans directly.

But four people exposed to infected horses have died - a fatality rate in humans of 57 per cent.

Funding for research into Hendra virus will be been cut, with the abolition next year of the Biosecurity Co-operative Research centre.

Dr Symons said the lone resident of the Bowen property had been informed of the test result.

Another horse on the same property was healthy, he said, and although a third horse died there a month ago Biosecurity did not have any samples to test.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Source: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,26049026-5005961,00.html


Up to six people exposed to Hendra virus
Article from: AAP

September 09, 2009 02:56pm

SIX people have potentially been exposed to the deadly Hendra virus after a horse on a north Queensland property tested positive to the disease.

The positive test followed the recent Hendra virus-related deaths of a veterinarian and four horses at a central Queensland property.

The state's Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, Rick Symons, said a private vet last week reported a suspected case to Biosecurity Queensland after attending a sick horse on the property, just outside of Bowen.

"The vet attended the horse over several days last week and samples were taken and forwarded to Brisbane for testing," Dr Symons said.

The horse was put down.

Control procedures were put in place when the sample results came back positive last night, Dr Symons said.

"There is one other horse on the property, which is healthy," he said.

"A third horse on the same property died one month ago but we do not have any samples to test.

"The property is under quarantine."

Queensland's chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young said about "half a dozen" people had potentially been exposed to the latest Hendra outbreak.

Dr Symons said the horse that died a month ago showed similar symptoms to the one that tested positive but the same vet did not test the first horse for Hendra or wear protective clothing as he had diagnosed it as having "lead poisoning".

He said the horse had now decomposed and the virus would have left the body, however

Queensland Health officials were attempting to locate missing samples that were taken by the vet at the time.

Dr Symons said there were horses on an adjoining property and Biosecurity Queensland officers were talking to the owner to assess if they had been exposed to the horse that died most recently.

Queensland Horse Council said as there were only three horses on the isolated property, an outbreak of the virus was likely to be contained on site.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Source: http://bigpondnews.com/articles/National-Regional/2009/09/15/Human_Hendra_tests_negative_372856.html

Human Hendra tests negative

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 ? 12:51pm

Initial tests on six people believed to be at risk of having the deadly Hendra virus have proven negative, Queensland Health says.

Ten people who had contact with horses at the centre of a Hendra virus outbreak on a Bowen property in north Queensland have been blood tested.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said in a statement on Tuesday there had been no evidence so far of Hendra virus exposure in six of the tests.

'But that does not mean the contacts can be given the all-clear,' she said.

'Follow-up testing is planned at three and six weeks after the last exposure but this may vary depending on timing and extent of exposure.'

The results from the remaining four tests are expected to be known by Thursday.

An 11th person who had contact with the property decided not to be tested 'because of the low risk of infection', Dr Young said.

Meanwhile, biosecurity officials are still awaiting the results of tests on samples from 18 horses on three neighbouring Bowen properties still under quarantine.

Rockhampton vet Dr Alister Rodgers died earlier this month from the virus after treating infected horses in August at J4S stud at Cawarral.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/24/2694821.htm


Hendra case feared in NT


The Northern Territory's Department of Primary Industries is investigating a potential case of the equine Hendra virus in Katherine.

The ABC understands no humans are being tested for the virus.

Hendra virus is passed from fruit bats to horses, which can then transfer the condition on to humans.

Queensland vet Alister Rodgers died from the Hendra virus earlier this month after contracting the disease while tending to a sick horse on a property at Cawarral near Rockhampton.

Queensland Health says seven people have contracted Hendra virus since 1994 and Dr Rodgers was the fourth person to die from the disease.

An equine vet in Queensland died from Hendra virus last month.

Thoroughbred Racing NT says it is concerned at the reports.

The organisation released a statement last night, saying it has been working for several weeks to prepare an action plan to deal with a potential outbreak of the virus.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Hendra Virus in Australia

Source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/que...ould-be-yearly-says-expert-20091013-gvr0.html

Hendra outbreak could be yearly, says expert
PETRINA BERRY
October 13, 2009 - 9:06PM

Research into bat-borne viruses in Asia supports links made between outbreaks of the deadly Hendra virus and the mammals' breeding season, an Australian scientist says.

Experts from around the world met on Queensland's Sunshine Coast on Tuesday to discuss rare diseases transmitted by bats to livestock and to humans.

Biosecurity Queensland scientist Dr Hume Field, who gave a presentation on Hendra virus, later said Australia can expect to have a Hendra outbreak at least once a year, as it has become almost seasonal.

"In the last four or five years there has been an annual spillover of the event and it's all been in the June-July-August time," Dr Field said.

"When we compared that to what was happening in Bangladesh and Thailand we saw the same sort of thing - the clustering (of Hendra and Nipah-like viruses) within a three or four month period.

"In Australia, it's during the time when flying foxes are pregnant."

He said cases of Hendra-like viruses in Asia also appeared to be centred around the bat breeding season.

"Hendra appears to be associated with (bat) pregnancy and lactation but we do need to look for other reasons as to why there is more during that time," he said.

"People need to be aware of it all the time and not just only during that time period."

Horses are believed to contract Hendra when coming into contact with birthing matter dropped on the ground by bats.

The virus is then transmitted from infected horses' secretions to humans.

It has about a 50 per cent mortality rate similar to other viruses like Nipah - a virus from bats to pigs to humans found in Malaysia.

Dr Field said in Bangladesh a Hendra-like virus had about a 75 per cent mortality rate but this could be linked to a lack of medical care available.

Meanwhile, quarantine restrictions have been lifted on properties in central and north Queensland at the centre of the latest Hendra outbreak.

The five remaining properties involved in the recent Hendra virus incidents at Cawarral and Bowen have been given the all-clear with horse test results finalised on Tuesday.

Biosecurity Queensland deputy chief veterinary officer Rick Symons said an all-clear was given only after 32 days had elapsed since the time of last exposure, and definitive test results were negative for Hendra virus.

Veterinarian Dr Alister Rodgers died on September 1 after treating horses stricken with Hendra virus.

Seven people have contracted Hendra virus since 1994 and Dr Rodgers was the fourth of them to die from the disease.

AAP