Warning after hendra death
Keeping clear of bats is very difficult but vaccination works
THE death of a horse from hendra virus on a property near Lismore has been described as “an incident” rather than an outbreak of the bat-borne disease.
North Coast Local Land Services district veterinarian Phil Kemsley said the case, in which the unvaccinated horse was put down after it tested positive to the virus, was the first death from hendra in New South Wales this year.
Another horse on the property was clear of the disease but inspections were ongoing, Dr Kemsley said.
The property had been placed under movement restrictions by Local Land Services.
“NSW Health inquires into and establishes the risk to humans in all reported cases of the virus, and the Local Land Services and the DPI address the risk presented to animals, including horses,” he said.
Dr Kemsley euthanised the 11-year-old gelding on Sunday night after tests by a private vet returned a positive result.
The horse was noticed to be lethargic last Thursday and the next day was not eating and was wobbly on its feet.
Dr Kemsley said he “strongly suspected” the presence of flying foxes to be behind the incident.
He said there were steps that could be taken to protect horses including feeding and watering them under cover, and stabling them at night.
“But even then, they can come out in the morning and pick something up off the ground and become infected,” he said, “so the best thing to do is make sure your animals are vaccinated.”
Inhalation is the main means of contracting the disease, which is present predominantly in the bats’ urine – and predominantly in that of black flying foxes – but ingestion is another means.
Veterinarians tend to see more hendra cases in the winter months when the conditions for viral survival in the environment are longer, Dr Kemsley said, and “exclusions” were carried out on a regular basis in the area.
He said vaccination was 100% effective and all horse owners should discuss a hendra virus vaccination strategy with their veterinarian.
Good biosecurity and personal hygiene measures
should always be practised in conjunction with it.
“Horses should also be kept away from flowering and fruiting trees that are attractive to bats.
“Do not place feed and water under trees and cover feed and water containers with a shelter so they cannot be contaminated from above.”
If your horse is unwell, keep people and other animals away from the horse and call your private veterinarian immediately.