Hendra virus: Racing Queensland warning over July 2025 case
Racing Queensland has reiterated the importance of vaccination for thoroughbred horses following the first case of the deadly Hendra virus in southeast Queensland in three years.
A horse in southeast Queensland has died after testing positive to the virus, Biosecurity Queensland officials confirmed on Sunday.
Queensland Health is working to manage the health of people who came into contact with the horse given the virus can spread to humans and be fatal.
In this new case, the horse was not vaccinated against Hendra virus.
• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
'Racing Queensland recommends vaccination and disseminates information to its industry participants on prevention and appropriate management of any ill horses,' an RQ spokesman said.
'RQ understands the horse involved in this instance is not a racehorse.'
There is no human vaccine for Hendra virus, although it is rare for humans to contract the deadly disease.
'While the virus can spread from horses to people, it is rare,' Queensland chief health officer Dr Heidi Carroll said.
'People assessed as having a high level of exposure to the infected horse will undergo prioritised testing.'
The last time Henry virus was discovered in Queensland was in Mackay in 2022.
Flying foxes can transmit Hendra virus to horses. Picture: Craig Wahurst
Biosecurity Queensland said an unvaccinated horse tested positive for the virus last Friday and its 'condition rapidly deteriorated'.
Hendra virus can be transmitted from flying fox to horse, and from horse to human.
It was first discovered in 1994 when it swept through racing stables in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra, killing a trainer and 13 horses.
Since then there have been 66 known outbreaks across Australia, with four people and 90 horses dying from the deadly virus.
RQ has advised anyone concerned about possible infection to immediately contact their veterinarian and avoid contact with the horse until Hendra virus results are obtained.
The risk of infection from Hendra virus may be minimised by:
• Vaccinating horses – the highly-protective vaccine available for horses is the most effective way to manage Hendra virus disease risk;
• Paddock management – remove feed and water from underneath trees frequented by flying foxes and move horses out of paddocks when trees attractive to flying foxes are flowering or fruiting; and
• Practicing good hygiene when interacting with horses, including: Regularly washing hands with soap and water after touching horses, particularly before eating, smoking or touching your eyes, nose or mouth; covering wounds with a waterproof dressing; wearing personal protective equipment if contact with body fluids from a horse is likely; and washing unprotected skin with soap and water if it comes into contact with a horse's body fluids or manure.
Originally published as Racing Queensland puts thoroughbred industry on alert as new Hendra virus case confirmed
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Researchers develop injection in bid to replace multiple Parkinson's medications
Researchers have developed a new injection they hope will one day become a "game-changer" for people living with Parkinson's disease. Scientists from the University of South Australia have worked for more than two years to develop the formula, designed to replace the need for multiple daily oral medications. The dose combines two commonly used medications for Parkinson's — levodopa and carbidopa — into a single injection. The biodegradable solution is designed to be injected into a patient where it forms an implant under the skin and steadily releases the medication over seven days. "One injection will be good for one week as compared to a patient taking three or four tablets every day," Professor Sanjay Garg, from the University of South Australia's Centre for Pharmaceutical Innovation, said. Laboratory tests have so far confirmed the formula's effectiveness, but Professor Garg said the real test will be clinical trials in humans, which have yet to be undertaken. Professor Garg said the next phase will be to begin animal testing, which he hopes to start in six months, pending ethics approvals. "We will be applying these injections to animals and then assessing their blood concentrations to see how the drug release is happening," he said. He hopes the research could open up more possibilities to develop better ways to treat other chronic diseases. National peak body, Parkinson's Australia, estimates more than 150,000 Australians currently live with the disease, which progressively worsens over time and has no known cure, with treatment focusing on managing symptoms. University of South Australia PhD student, Deepa Nakmode, said the aim of creating an injectable drug was to simplify treatment for patients who currently take tablets between three to five times per day. Ms Nakmode said for elderly patients in particular, it can be difficult to remember to take each dose at the right time. "Even if they miss a single dose, they can't perform day to day activities normally," she said. Ms Nakmode said around 100 different combinations were tested before arriving at the final product, which has been filed for an Australian patent. "As a scientist you feel proud to come up with a product which is clinically needed, not just for the sake of research," she said. Parkinson's Australia CEO, Olivia Nassaris, has welcomed the findings, which she described as a "breakthrough" for patients. "There hasn't been much progress in Parkinson's medications for a number of years and the community is mostly on oral medications," Ms Nassaris said. "There is no such medication on the market which is the same as this." Former academic Peter Willis was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative condition 10 years ago, when he was in his 70s. "I was in the car and my hand shook. I thought, 'That's funny, I don't recall that happening [before]'," Mr Willis said. The 86-year-old takes oral medication four times a day in addition to other tablets for a heart condition — but he admits he sometimes forgets. He said a weekly injection would be easier to manage. "Having to remember four every day is a pain in the arse," he said. Mr Willis said he noticed a deterioration in his symptoms if he was not precise in the timing of taking his daily medications. "If you don't take the tablet on time, you discover you can't walk," he said.
ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
Psychological side effects for common prostate cancer treatment raise concerns
There are calls for urgent reform of the way a widely used prostate cancer treatment is prescribed following a number of suicides by men undergoing the therapy. Androgen deprivation therapy — known as ADT — is a hormone treatment that's commonly prescribed for men with advanced prostate cancer because it blocks the testosterone on which the cancer feeds. It slows the progress of the cancer, but the side effects can be so debilitating that some men have chosen to take their own lives. Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) wants all men diagnosed with prostate cancer to be screened for distress and referred to a specialist nurse trained in providing ongoing psychological care. This should include conversations with partners or loved ones when appropriate, education about the potential side effects of the treatment and strategies for maintaining quality of life. PCFA chief executive Anne Savage said both doctors and patients need to be made more aware of the mental health risks of ADT. "We are aware of a number of cases where ADT is believed to have played a role in the deterioration of men's mental health, leading to suicide," she said. "Overall, around 12 per cent of men impacted by prostate cancer will experience suicidal ideation, which is significantly associated with hormonal treatment." Every year, more than 26,000 Australian men are diagnosed with prostate cancer. About 4,000 of these men have stage 3 or 4 cancer, which will likely require ADT. Many more previously treated for prostate cancer will be recommended for the therapy if their cancers recur or progress. Research reported by PCFA has warned that men on ADT for prostate cancer face a higher risk of suicide. According to Ms Savage, the potentially deadly side effects have been well established by international and Australian studies, but are not well known. But she said it's important to remember that ADT remains an effective method to slow the cancer for most patients. "What we don't want is for men to stop taking hormone therapy. This is a life-saving treatment that stops prostate cancer from spreading," Ms Savage said. Melbourne prostate cancer specialist professor Declan Murphy said no-one would argue with the call to provide better support to patients. He said the likelihood of suicide is extremely low, but it does appear to be higher in men who have started ADT. "I think it's likely that the burden of being diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer itself is also contributing to depression and suicide risk, so the relative risk increase may be overstated," he said. Surfing writer Tim Baker had just turned 50 when he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had metastasised into the bone. Put onto ADT hormone treatment, he soon began to feel emotionally vulnerable. "The hormone therapy amounted to chemical castration. It meant loss of libido, loss of erectile function, loss of bone density, and it causes breast swelling, genital shrinkage and loss of muscle mass," he said. "I remember thinking, 'I'll never be whole again, and I'm not sure how I survive this. The treatment, let alone the disease.'" He doesn't remember any warning about the risk of suicide, but within months, he found himself lying awake at night feeling that his family would be better off without him. "I felt like the warnings around ADT were entirely inadequate, and I do think prescribing ADT to men and not providing better support is medically negligent." Unknown to Mr Baker, his experience was one shared by a stranger on the other side of the country. WA farmer Craig Heggaton was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 56 and soon after underwent a prostatectomy, which he assumed would be the end of the matter. But the cancer returned four years later. His doctor recommended he go onto ADT, a treatment that his wife, Liz, queried at the time. "I asked the specific question about how it may impact Craig's mental wellbeing because he's on antidepressants," she said. When the doctor told her he'd only had one patient with an adverse reaction to ADT, she didn't think much more about it. Within two months, she noticed him becoming irritable, not sleeping well and having zero libido — something that troubled Mr Heggaton himself. "It was just this insidious slide of him not being his normal happy-go-lucky self," Ms Heggaton said. But it was a shock when Mr Heggaton took his own life last year while on a camping trip with friends to the Big Red Bash music festival near Birdsville in Central Australia. At first, his wife had no answers as to why her husband had taken such an extreme step. Months later, she listened to an ABC Conversations interview with Mr Baker and had a "light bulb moment" when he described his emotional meltdown while on ADT. "The night that Craig died, I hadn't really suspected that it was the ADT. The thing that really struck me was that Tim had been on the same treatment that Craig was on," she said. "This drug, the power of this drug could in fact have caused Craig's suicide." She emailed Mr Baker and was "shocked and excited" to receive a response from him within 30 minutes. "Liz's story about her husband's suicide touched me so deeply because I'd been there," Mr Baker said. "I'd been in his position where I'd questioned whether life was worth living, and I could entirely relate to his decision." After hearing more of Mr Heggaton's story, he believes the popular farmer and sheep breeder was given inadequate warning about the side effects of ADT treatment, particularly since he was on antidepressants. "He should have been told that the drug carries the very real risk of inducing depression and mood swings, and that it carries an increase in your risk of suicide," Mr Baker said. Mr Baker and Ms Heggaton have now joined forces to drive an awareness campaign about prostate cancer, which is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in Australia. They describe themselves as an odd pairing, an unlikely alliance of a WA farmer and a northern NSW surfer, who would otherwise have never crossed paths. With the support of PCFA, they hope to start an annual sporting event — like the Pink Test for breast cancer — to raise funds and research into prostate cancer. Mr Baker has written a book, Patting the Shark, about his cancer experience and has since become a respected patient advocate. After 10 years on and off ADT, he has come to accept the treatment as a necessary evil. "Oh look, if I hadn't done ADT hormone treatment, I don't think I'd still be here," he said. But the effectiveness of the treatment for him is waning, which means he'll have to consider targeted radiation or look for a clinical trial of an alternative approach. "But there are no curative options ahead of me. So it's really a matter of managing it and staying fit and healthy for as long as I can," he said. Ms Heggaton believes every man and his partner need to be counselled about the side effects of ADT before going on the drug, to ensure they are fully warned about how their body is going to feel when they start treatment. She hopes that something good may flow from her husband's tragic death. "I want to find my voice and not let Craig's death be in vain. Make good of a really shitty situation, and try and help others through this process."
ABC News
16 hours ago
- ABC News
Tasmanian Labor officially launches election campaign week before snap poll
The Tasmanian Labor Party has pledged to double the number of free GP clinics it will open, if elected into government at next weekend's snap poll. The party had previously proposed creating five government-run GP clinics in health hubs around the state, in a move inspired by the federal and state governments' Urgent Care Clinics. Under the TassieDoc plan, the state government would pay nursing and admin staff as well as provide the clinic and consulting rooms. The clinics are also intended to operate with extended hours, including weekends. The initial pledge was matched by the Tasmanian Liberal Party — but on Sunday, at Labor's official campaign launch in Devonport, party leader Dean Winter announced it was bumping up its promise to 10 clinics. He said he had been "stunned" by reception to the TassieDoc plan. "Doctors calling us saying they want to get involved, Tasmanians begging us to put them in their communities. "We'll make sure that Tasmanians can access free doctor appointments no matter where they live." The party has previously identified Ravenswood, Burnie, Devonport, Glenorchy and Risdon Vale as the locations for the first five clinics. During the campaign launch, Mr Winter also pledged to introduce legislation to ensure GP contractors do not have to pay payroll tax permanently, and introduce an exemption for GP registrars. '"Labor will also establish an ongoing State-Federal Tasmanian doctor recruitment task force to continue to train and retain doctors in Tasmania," he said. Having flown in to support the campaign launch, Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers threw his support behind the state Labor leader. "The Liberal waste, the overruns and the blowouts are costing Tasmanians dearly," Mr Chalmers said. "This is the Liberal legacy laid bare." The Tasmanian branch of the Australian Medical Association said it welcomed the investment — but that staffing challenges could not be ignored. "We're already short of GPs in Tasmania," vice-president Meg Creely said. "So while we welcome the investment in primary care and the recognition that it's such a vital part of our entire healthcare world here in Tassie, we've got to work out how we attract the doctors to work there." Dr Creely said things like the task force put forward by Labor sounded "positive" for the short-term recruitment of doctors. But, she said it was important retention was also in focus — and that the clinics did not impact on existing practices. When it first announced the clinics, Labor said it would spend $5 million fitting out the five clinics, then $4 million a year to keep them running, and $2 million towards incentives for GPs to work at them. Liberal health spokesperson Jacquie Petrusma described Labor's announcement as a "last-ditch campaign con". "The Liberal Government backs establishing sustainable GP clinics in areas of need that are able to be supported and staffed," she said. "We have generous settlement allowances and settlements on the table, and our viability grants to strengthen practices across the state are working." Ms Petrusma said GPs who contract a clinical space were already exempt from payroll tax. A Liberal spokesperson said the party would not be matching the TassieDoc expansion pledge. Tasmanians will head to the polls on July 19.
