Hendra virus claims first human victim
Last week hopes that the spread of the deadly horse Hendra virus had been hindered were encouraged by the negative test results of a animal in Manilla which had been in contact with infected horses from the J4S Equine Nursery in Queensland.
However this week news of the disease takes a turn for the worst as the J4S veterinary surgeon, Dr Alister Rodgers has been diagnosed with the human mutation of the virus. The vet treated the first foal, 4-year-old Anglo Arabian filly Jackowah's Regal Princess that had been confirmed as the first suspected case, without the use of gloves or a mask.
In total 4 horses have been diagnosed with the Hendra virus, the first foal followed by three other horses, the most recent being euthanased on Monday 21 August.
Rodgers has been taken to the Princess Alexandria Hospital in Brisbane and is in a critically stable induced coma , similarly three stud worker at equine nursery have also been taken to hospital for observation and tests after reporting severe headaches.
The quarantine will remain in place at J4S nursery for 28 days, which is suspected to cause serious problems for the owner of J4S as foal sales will be consequently low due to the outbreak.
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August 24th 2009