With the first case of Hendra virus recorded in northern New South Wales for 2015, horse owners in Western Australia are reminded to maintain their vigilance for signs of the virus in their horses and to take steps to reduce the risk of it occurring.
Department of Agriculture and Food senior veterinary officer Michael Paton said while Hendra virus had never been diagnosed in horses in WA, the department had undertaken testing to rule out Hendra virus in several cases of ill horses in northern WA which had been exposed to flying foxes (fruit bats).
“There is a risk of Hendra virus occurring in horses wherever they have contact with flying foxes (fruit bats), but horse owners in northern WA need to be particularly vigilant as flying foxes north of Shark Bay have been shown to carry the virus,” Dr Paton said.
“Horse owners can take several measures to minimise the risk of their horses becoming infected with Hendra virus.
“They should minimise contact between their horses and the urine, faeces and fruit debris from flying foxes.
“The most practical way to do this is to remove horses from yards or paddocks with fruiting or flowering trees where flying foxes feed or to fence off those areas. Owners should also place feed bins and water troughs under cover away from where flying foxes eat or roost.”
Dr Paton said vaccination against Hendra virus was an option WA horse owners may wish to discuss with their veterinarian if their horses are likely to have contact with flying foxes or travel to Queensland or northern New South Wales or have contact with horses from Queensland or northern NSW at events.
“While the vaccine is an important preventive measure, no vaccine is 100 per cent effective and boosters are required, so horse owners and veterinarians will need to continue to be alert for signs of Hendra virus in all horses, including vaccinated ones, and to take measures to protect their own health,” Dr Paton said.
“Signs of Hendra virus in horses include high fever with rapid deterioration in health, laboured breathing, lack of coordination and dullness, wobbly gait and/or discharge from the nose.
“If a horse shows signs similar to Hendra virus, and has been in contact with flying foxes or recently been imported from or has had recent contact with horses from Queensland or NSW, owners should immediately isolate the horse from people, other horses and animals and contact their veterinarian or the Emergency Animal Disease hotline on 1800 675 888.
“As horses can spread Hendra virus to people, horse owners and handlers should not have close contact with the horse until they receive veterinary advice.”
For more information about Hendra virus, search ‘Hendra’ at agric.wa.gov.au. Information about the Hendra virus vaccine is available at health4horses.com.au.
Media contacts: Jodie Thomson/Lisa Bertram, media liaison +61 (0)8 9368 3937